Box Score
Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Michael Alvarado scored 21 points, including his 1,000th career point, to lead four Jaspers in double figures as Manhattan defeated Siena 90-68 at Draddy Gymnasium on Thursday night. The win was Manhattan's 10th in its last 11 games and its fourth straight victory at home. The Jaspers now own a 13-3 record and 6-1 mark in the MAAC.
Rhamel Brown scored six of Manhattan's first eight points but Siena pulled out to an early 15-9 lead on a layup by Lavon Long at the 15:07 mark of the first half. The Jaspers came back with a 7-0 run, sparked by six points by Rich Williams during the spurt, that allowed Manhattan to take a 16-15 advantage.
Leading by a 33-30 score with 4:11 to play in the first half, Manhattan closed out the half on a 10-4 run. Donovan Kates drilled two three-pointers during the run and Alvarado punctuated the half with an emphatic throwdown dunk in the final seconds. That bucket gave the Jaspers a 43-34 lead at halftime as Alvarado sat at 999 career points heading into intermission.
After Imoh Silas scored the first two points of the second half to cut Manhattan's lead to 43-36, the Jaspers went on a run to gain their largest lead of the game. Shane Richards started a 9-1 run over the next two minutes by drawing a three-shot foul. Richards canned all three free throws to make it a 46-36 game.
Alvarado then converted a three-point play on a hard drive to the hoop, going over the 1,000-point mark for his career. It gave Manhattan a 49-36 lead and the Jaspers would extend it to 52-37 on a Richards triple a minute later.
Siena cut the Jaspers' lead to single digits just once the rest of the way, 57-48 at the 12:52 mark. Manhattan matched its largest lead of the game, 23 points, with 43 seconds remaining when Carlton Allen converted a pretty three-point play to push the Jaspers' lead to 88-65.
Alvarado not only scored a team-high 21 points to lead all scorers, but he also finished with seven steals, along with five assists and just one turnover in 31 minutes. Richards totaled double figures for the fourth straight game with 15 points, while Brown added 13 and three blocked shots. Kates chipped in with 10 points in 16 minutes off the bench.
"I thought we came out much better," head coach Steve Masiello said after the game. "We kind of made a statement in a sense that we looked a little more comfortable. I thought Mike Alvarado and Rhamel Brown made some big plays for us."
Rob Poole led Siena with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Marquis Wright and Ryan Oliver had 11 points apiece and Brian Bisping finished with 10 for the Saints.
The Jaspers are back in action on Saturday, January 18 at Fairfield for a 1:30 p.m. contest. The game will be televised live on SportsNet New York (SNY).
NOTES:
Michael Alvarado is the 34th Jasper in program history to surpass the 1,000-point mark … he joins classmate George Beamon as two Jaspers on the current squad to score more than 1,000 in his career … fellow senior Rhamel Brown stands at 985 points in his career … no senior class in Manhattan College history has ever had three 1,000-point scorers … Emmy Andujar finished with seven points, four assists and two steals … Manhattan had 15 steals … it was the sixth time in the last eight games the Jaspers have finished with more than 10 steals in a game … Manhattan has won eight of its last nine conference games at Draddy Gymnasium, dating back to last season … Manhattan has won four straight games vs. Siena at Draddy Gym ... Manhattan's 13-3 start matches the 2001-02 team's 13-3 start … it is the best record after 16 games for any Manhattan team since the 1994-95 team started its season at 14-2 on its way to a 23-2 mark.
