RIVERDALE, N.Y. — Manhattan led by as much as 9 in the first half before going quiet late in regulation in a 75-66 home loss vs. Mount St. Mary's. Acting head coach JR Lynch filled in for John Gallagher (illness) as the Jaspers returned to Draddy for the first time since a Dec. 8 loss vs. Marist.
HOW IT HAPPENED
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The action went by fast early with the first media timeout occurring at 10:18 at which the Jaspers staked out a 20-17 lead. Will Sydnor poured in nine points over the opening nine minutes and change, showing off his soft touch and scoring from all levels.
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At 9:21, Alijah Curry scored his first point since November 26 on a second-chance opportunity that extended the lead to 22-19.
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Following a free throw from Mount's Dola Adebayo, Manhattan rattled off seven in a row to open their largest lead of the game at 29-20 following another basket from Curry.
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As Mount clawed their way back, a jumper from senior guard Shaquil Bender stretched the Manhattan lead back to seven with 4:38 left in the first half.
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After the Mount fired back with a 7-0 run to tie the game at 31, Devin Dinkins finished inside plus the foul, with the ensuing free throw giving the Jaspers a three-point edge with 1:34 left in the half.
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Terrell Ard Jr. had the final word of the first half by grabbing his own rebound for a putback to cut the Jaspers lead to 34-33 at halftime.
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Manhattan came out of the gates in the second half with a 7-3 run to put itself ahead 41-36 by the 17:57 mark of the second half.
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Coming out of the timeout, Gilyard's hard work on the boards earned him a tip-in for his second straight basket to maintain a five-point lead for the Jaspers.
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The Mount would respond with 10 of the next 13 points to establish a two-point lead for the visitors at the 14:11 mark.
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Dinkins canned a second three in consecutive tries to regain a 49-48 lead for the Jaspers.
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The Jaspers and the Mount continued to exchange baskets, with Manhattan taking the lead three more times only to have the Mountaineers fight back to tie or take the lead each time.
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Sydnor's second three of the second half at 8:39 wound up giving the Jaspers a 59-58 lead—their final lead of the game—before the Mountaineers retaliated with a game-swinging 7-0 that featured a three-pointer from Carmelo Pacheco.
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Sydnor finished off the Jaspers' scoring at 1:08 when his basket cut the deficit to 70-66. The Mount scored the last five points from the free throw line to clinch the win.
STATS AND NOTES
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Sydnor's 27 points were a career-high for the freshman. He scored the Jaspers' final 10 points of the game in a span of 8:39.
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Sydnor secured his third double-double of the season by pulling down 10 boards vs. the Mount. Sydnor's five threes were also a personal best for threes in a single game.
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Manhattan was +11 on the boards in the first half, including out-rebounding the Mountaineers by eight on the offensive glass.
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Manhattan held a one-point lead at the break despite only shooting 3-16 from deep over the first 20 minutes. The Jaspers finished 28.1 percent (9-32) from behind the arc.
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The Jaspers were outscored 27-15 in bench points and 16-2 in points off turnovers.
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Manhattan coughed up 11 turnovers, which included a few in key moments of each half.
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Manhattan attempted only one free throw the entire night which was converted by Dinkins on his three-point play at the end of the first half.
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The Mount shot 11-14 from the free throw line.
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The Mount was led by Ard Jr.'s 16 points.
QUOTES FROM MANHATTAN
Acting head coach JR Lynch on learning from tonight's second-half: "Credit to Mount St. Mary's. They made plays down the stretch and we didn't. All we can do is learn from it and figure out how it could help us for Sunday."
Sydnor on why he's been able to have success in his first year at the collegiate level: "It's all credit to the coaches. They push us every day to be better than we were the day before. We all push each other."
NEXT TIME UP
Manhattan will regroup as it travels to face Merrimack (7-8, 4-0 MAAC) on Sunday at 2 PM. The Jaspers and Warriors will meet for the first time ever.
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