Riverdale, N.Y. (December 9, 2005)- Despite the cold temperatures outside, Manhattan opened up MAAC play with a hot shooting hand, downing Marist, 90-79, tonight at Draddy Gym on the MAAC opener for both schools. Senior co-captain
Jason Wingate exploded for a career-high 33 points to lead the Jaspers to a 1-0 MAAC record and 1-4 overall.
Marist opened the game with the hot hand, racing out to a 13-6 lead, but the Jaspers roared back, using a 10-2 run to take their first lead of the night, 16-15, with 12:08 left in the first half. Manhattan extended the lead to as many as nine, 34-25, following a
Kenny Minor trifecta, and went into intermission leading by three, 36-33, Manhattan's first halftime lead of the season.
The Red Foxes began the second stanza much like the first, using a 10-3 run to take a five point lead, 43-38, with 17:41 left in the game. The lead was short lived, however, as Manhattan responded with a 17-4 run of its own over the next seven minutes to take an eight point lead, 55-47, with 10:44 remaining. Marist would close to within five, 55-50, with just over 10 minutes left, but the Jaspers held strong, extending the lead to as many as 15, and not allowing the lead to dip under 10 points over the final 2:27.
Wingate's career night came on 7-10 shooting from the floor, including 4-6 from beyond the arc. But more importantly, the lefty point guard went 15-16 from the line, in a microcosm of the night for Manhattan. The Jaspers shot a season-high 48.3% from the field (28-58), a season-best 61.5% on their three-point attempts (8-13), and an workmanlike 78.8% from the line (26-33), also a season-best.
Joining Wingate in double-figures were
CJ Anderson (16 points, team-high eight rebounds),
Arturo Dubois (13 points, six boards),
Jeff Xavier (13 points, five steals), and Minor (12 points).
Will Whittington paced Marist with 18 points, while James Smith tallied a double-double with 14 points and a game-high 10 boards before fouling out with 9:23 remaining after being whistled for a technical foul.
Manhattan returns to action on Sunday, December 11, traveling to Baltimore, Md. to take on the Loyola Greyhounds at 2:00 p.m. in a homecoming game for senior co-captain
Kenny Minor.
