RIVERDALE, N.Y. – In the regular season finale for both teams, Manhattan was edged at home by Mount St. Mary's, 74-69.
The Jaspers almost pulled off the win after trailing by double-digits in the first half for the third straight game.
Manhattan (12-17, 10-10 MAAC) rallied from a 19-point first-half deficit against Mount St. Mary's (12-19, 8-12 MAAC) to lead by six early in the second half. Manhattan used a 27-5 run spanning the first and second halves to take a 3-point lead, 50-47, with 11:33 remaining.
"Tough one today. They came strong today, but we fought back," said interim head coach
RaShawn Stores. "[Our team] believes in each other. That is all you can ask for as we get closer to tournament time."
The 27-5 stretch by the Jaspers spanned over 10 minutes and saw the Jaspers go 12-19 from the field. Seven Jaspers scored during the stretch. Defensively, Manhattan held Mount St. Mary's to 2-15 shooting and forced four turnovers. That cooled a red-hot Mountaineer offense. The Mount hit over 50-percent from the floor and 3-point range in the opening 20 minutes.
Putting the Jaspers into the lead for the first time Saturday was
Nick Brennen with a corner three assisted by
Ant Nelson, putting them up 48-47. The Jaspers held the lead until the Mountaineers scored eight straight to take a two-point advantage, 57-55, with 7:23 to play.
An immediate answer by the Jaspers followed with seven straight points to lead 62-57 with 5:35 left, which included a triple from
Samir Stewart. The Mount took the lead for good at the end of a 9-0 stretch to build a 66-62 advantage.
Manhattan made it a one-possession game multiple times inside the final 90 seconds, but The Mount responded each time with a bucket or free throws.
Three Jaspers scored in double digits today, with one of them dropping a double-double. Nelson dropped 17 points while also dishing out seven assists. Nick Brennan sunk three of his six threes and finished the game with 15. Josh Robers was the Jasper who dropped a double-double accumulating 14 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. It was his fifth double-double of the season.
Before the game, the Jaspers honored the 2023 senior class.
Next for the Jaspers is the MAAC Tournament in Atlantic City, N.J., next week.
For the latest on the Manhattan College men's basketball program, follow the Jaspers on Twitter @JaspersMBB and Instagram @Jaspers.MBB.
