RIVERDALE, NY — Manhattan and Sacred Heart dueled to the tune of 11 lead changes in the first half before the Jaspers ran away in the second half to post a 90-74 victory for their third straight win. Manhattan improved to 4-0 in games against opponents it lost to the first time.
HOW IT HAPPENED
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Jaden Winston started off scorching hot hitting his first three threes to give Manhattan an 11-5 lead at the 16:37 mark.
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Masiah Gilyard went 1 of 2 from the free throw line at 11:48 to establish a 20-11 lead for the Jaspers.
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Sacred Heart fought back with an 8-2 run to cut the Jaspers lead to 22-18 at the 10:23 mark.
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A driving finish by Fraser Roxburgh followed by back-to-back threes from Will Sydnor put the Jaspers ahead 28-20 with 9:34 left.
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Sacred Heart would refuse to go away in the first half, launching a 10-1 run to take a 30-29 lead following a three from Griffin Barrouk.
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After four more lead changes in the final 3 minutes, Manhattan took a 46-45 lead into the locker room at halftime.
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Devin Dinkins scored the final two baskets of the first half, including a lay-up with under one second left on the clock.
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Manhattan launched a 10-0 out of the halftime break which included threes from Wesley Robinson and Shaquil Bender.
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A lay-up from Sacred Heart's Amiri Stewart at 16:56 got the Pioneers on the board in the second half, and he followed that up with another finish inside to keep the visitors nine points back at 58-49.
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Sacred Heart would close to within seven following a step-back three from Nyle Ralph-Beyer at 10:53.
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However, took control of the game with a 17-8 run over the next 6:57 of game clock. Roxburgh added two threes during that stretch and Gilyard added another to close out the run.
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For good measure, Roxburgh added his third three of the game less than a minute later to put Manhattan up 16 in the closing minutes.
STATS AND NOTES
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Manhattan clinched a bye in next week's MAAC Championships and will play in the quarterfinals on Thursday. The Jaspers could still finish anywhere between 4th and 6th place depending on Saturday's results.
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Manhattan (11-8 MAAC) clinched its first winning season in MAAC play since the 2014-15 season when it went 13-7.
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Manhattan's 16 wins overall are its highest since winning 19 games in 2014-15.
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Gilyard finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.
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Gilyard's 21 tied his D1 career-high.
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Winston wrapped up his night with 17 points, six assists and four rebounds.
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Winston contributed 15 of his 17 points in the first half.
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For the sixth time this season and first time back to back, Manhattan had five double-digit scorers (Gilyard 21, Winston 17, Roxburgh 14, Wesley Robinson 11, Dinkins 10 and Sydnor 10).
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Manhattan is one of 15 teams in the country with five players averaging double figures (Sydnor, Dinkins, Gilyard, Robinson and Bender).
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Manhattan led for the entirety of the second half.
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Manhattan 11-27 (40.7%) from three and 13-15 (86.7%) from the charity stripe.
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Manhattan led the second-chance points battle 23-14.
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The Jaspers bench outscored the Pioneers bench 24-12
QUOTES FROM MANHATTAN
Head coach John Gallagher on the clutch performances from Winston and Gilyard: "Jaden (Winston) and Swish (GIlyard) have become two leaders for us. Swish is indispensable for us in everything we do."
Gallagher on the importance of keeping the momentum going after clinching a bye tonight: "We're in a really good spot overall but we've done nothing if you don't take care of business Saturday. We want to win on Saturday."
Winston on the added firepower provided by Fraser Roxburgh: "He's one of the best players on the court every time he steps on the court. He makes the game so much easier for us because we can play through him. He takes coaching from coach…just a great kid."
NEXT TIME OUT
Manhattan (16-12, 11-8 MAAC) will play host to Siena (14-16, 9-10 MAAC) on Saturday afternoon at 2 PM on ESPN+. Before the game, the program will recognize the four seniors on Senior Day.
Follow Manhattan Basketball on X (@JaspersMBB) and on Instagram (@jaspers.mbb).