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Atlantic City, NJ - No. 10 Manhattan dropped a heartbreaking 59-58 overtime decision to No. 7 Fairfield in the opening round of the 2021 MAAC Championship at the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall.
The Jaspers were able to force overtime when senior
Ethan Lasko (Hollywood, FL / Indiana) beat the regulation buzzer to tie it up at 50-50.
In the extra session, Fairfield scored the first five points before senior
Ebube Ebube (San Juan, Puerto Rico / The Lawrenceville School (NJ)) hit a layup to spark a 6-2 spurt, as junior
Samba Diallo (Rufisque, Senegal) hit a layup and a pair from the line to trim the deficit to 57-56 with 1:55 to play.
The teams then traded baskets, before the Stags misfired on a pair from the line to give the Jaspers one more chance with 10.1 to play in the game. Unfortunately, Manhattan's final attempt came up painfully short.
Junior
Ant Nelson (New York, NY / Seton Hall led the way for the Jaspers with his second career double-double, with 16 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals, while Diallo added 11 points and 11 rebounds in earning his first double-double of the season.
Manhattan ends its season with a 7-13 record, while Fairfield improves to 8-16.
Notes
* Diallo has now recorded four career double-doubles, and notched double-figures on the glass for the fourth time this season and the 10th in his career.
* Junior
Warren Williams (Kingston, Jamaica / St. Benedict's Prep (NJ)) rounded out the double-digit performers for Manhattan with 11 points, while classmate
Elijah Buchanan (Bronx, NY / Woodstock Academy (CT)) added nine points, six rebounds, three assists, three blocks and one steal.
* Williams is now averaging 11.6 ppg and 4.0 rpg while shooting 67.6 percent (23-of-34) over five career MAAC Tournament games.
* Nelson notched double-figures in scoring for the team-best 15th time, while pacing the squad for the sixth time, matching Buchanan and Williams, who each also led the team in scoring on six occasions.
* Junior
Samir Stewart (Fort Lauderdale, FL / American Heritage) handed out a game-high five assists, against just zero turnovers, with five points.
* The Jaspers jumped out to a 25-16 lead at the break thanks to ripping off a 9-0 run early in the stanza, while also limiting the Stags to just 25.0 percent (7-of-28) from the floor for the opening 20 minutes.
* Manhattan forced 15 miscues that led to a 12-8 margin in points off turnovers.
* The Jaspers also posted a 44-42 advantage on the glass, including 20-12 on offensive end, that led to a 38-16 margin in the paint.
* Jesus Cruz scored 16 points, while Jake Wojcik added 15 to pace Fairfield.
