Syracuse, N.Y. (November 30, 2005)- Manhattan overcame a 24 point first half deficit to lead by as many as 11 in the second half, but could not overcome a late Syracuse charge, falling 87-82, in overtime tonight at the Carrier Dome.
Mike Konovelchick tallied his first collegiate double-double, scoring a team-high 21 points while pulling down a career-high 10 rebounds to pace five Jaspers in double-figures, as Manhattan scored 61 second half points to claw back into the game.
The game opened slowly for both teams, as the Orange and Jaspers combined to miss their first 14 shots, with Syracuse opening the game 0-6 and Manhattan missing its first eight field goal attempts. Gerry McNamara finally put someone on the scoreboard with two free throws at the 16:36 mark, while
Jeff Xavier's breakaway layup at the 15:28 mark provided the first hoop of the game.
The whistle was not kind to the Jaspers in the early going, as the first seven foul calls went against Manhattan. Syracuse used this to its advantage, outscoring the Jaspers 35-13 over the final 15 minutes of the opening stanza to turn a 5-3 Manhattan advantage in to a 38-18 halftime lead. The biggest lead for the Orange came with 4:51 left before the break, as a Demetris Nichols jumper gave Syracuse a 24 point lead, 36-12.
Entering the second half, a different Manhattan team emerged from the locker room, attacking the Orange's 2-3 zone and using pressure defense to slowly turn the tide.
The Jaspers opened the second half with an 18-8 run to cut the lead in half, trailing by just 10, 46-36, with 15:16 left on a short jumper from
Arturo Dubois. Manhattan would continue to keep up the intensity, taking its first lead since the 15 minute mark of the first half after
Kenny Minor buried a three from the right wing with 7:55 left, giving the Jaspers a 57-56 lead.
Manhattan used a 15-5 run to push its lead to 11, the largest of the night, after two Dubois free throws gave the Jaspers a 72-61 lead with 2:21 to play.
The lead stood at 10, 75-65, with 1:42 remaining in regulation before Manhattan went cold from the free throw line, missing five straight attempts. With the lead at nine, 77-68, with 55 ticks left, the Orange score eight straight points, including two three pointers from McNamara, to pull within one, 77-76, with 24 seconds left. After two
Jason Wingate free throws pushed the lead back to three, freshman Eric Devendorf connected on his only field goal of the night, a long three to knot the score at 79-79 and send the game into overtime.
In the overtime period, the two teams traded baskets before a Minor free throw gave the Jaspers a one point lead, 82-81, with 2:11 left, before Syracuse scored the final six points of the game to escape with the win.
Konovelchick added four assists and five steals to his totals, and was joined in producing a double-double by
CJ Anderson, who recorded 19 points, and game-highs with 13 rebounds and four blocks.
Jeff Xavier (13 points, seven boards), Minor (11 points), and Dubois (10 points) also reached double figures.
McNamara led all scorers with 25 points.
Manhattan returns to action on Tuesday, December 6, traveling to Kingston, R.I. to take on the University of Rhode Island at 7:30 p.m.
