Box Score
BRONX, N.Y. - The 105th edition of the 'Battle of the Bronx' did not come as easy for the Jaspers as their 34-point victory over Fordham last season. Manhattan (2-3) relied on the solid play of junior point guard Michael Alvarado down the stretch to come out with a 65-58 road victory over the Rams on Thursday at Rose Hill Gym. Alvarado received the Mike Cohen Most Valuable Player award after scoring 12 of his game-high 19 points in the second half.
Manhattan sophomore guard Donovan Kates contributed a season-high 15 points and senior guard George Beamon added 10 points and seven rebounds to the triumph. It was Manhattan's ninth victory in the last 12 meetings with Fordham as the Jaspers took a 55-50 all-time lead in the historic college basketball rivalry.
Fordham (1-5) was led by sophomore center Ryan Canty who finished with 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting in 23 minutes off the bench. Junior guard Brandon Frazier, the Rams' leading scorer, posted all 16 of his points in the second half.
The lead changed sides six times, but neither team managed to open a double-digit advantage. Kates knocked down his first three shots propelling Manhattan to an eight-point edge nine minutes into the ballgame. His first of two three-pointers put Manhattan on top 15-7.
The Rams got their offense on track midway through the opening stanza after knocking down only three of their first 20 field goal attempts. Fordham was 0-for-8 from beyond the arc before red-shirt freshman guard Jeff Short connected from downtown at the seven minute mark to spark a 10-0 run. Jermaine Myers' three at 4:52 put Fordham in front 19-16.
Senior forward Roberto Colonette ended a six minute scoring drought for the Jaspers with free-throws at 3:01. Alvarado picked up the Jaspers in the last two minutes of the half, scoring seven of the last eight points before intermission. He tied the contest at 23-23 with a three, and then sent Manhattan into the break with a 26-23 lead by knocking down a pair of free-throws.
Fordham rallied behind Frazier in the second half, who was sidelined for 11 minutes in the first period due to foul trouble. The 6'2" Brooklyn native scored 10 of the Rams' first 15 points out of the locker room to help recapture the lead. Fordham opened a four point advantage five times in the stanza, but the Jaspers' active defense would not allow it to grow larger.
Alvarado got into his zone around the six minute mark and led the Jaspers to the finish. He cut the lead to one point twice by coming up with key buckets in traffic. Then with 4:07 remaining, Alvarado sliced through the lane and found junior forward Rhamel Brown cutting to the hoop for a go-ahead layup (53-52). The sequence was the beginning of a game changing 16-4 run that ended with a pair of free-throws by Beamon with 22 seconds left to ice the victory.
Manhattan dominated the glass by outrebounding Fordham 42-22. Sophomore guard RaShawn Stores led the way with a career-high nine rebounds. Brown and Colonette collected six rebounds apiece.
The Jaspers shot 45% (18-40) from the field and 78.8% (26-33) at the free-throw line, which helped offset a season-high 27 turnovers. The Rams went 20-for-55 (36.4%) from the field and were limited to 3-for-18 (16.7%) from three-point territory.
The third straight Atlantic 10 opponent awaits the Jaspers on Sunday when they face George Washington at the 18th Annual BB&T Classic at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. Tip-off is scheduled for 12:15 p.m. The contest will be televised live on MASN, Fox Sports Net and locally on MSG+.
