Riverdale, N.Y. (January 15, 2006)-
Jason Wingate hit a spinning runner in the lane with 12 seconds remaining to give Manhattan a one point lead and
Mike Konovelchick came up with a steal on the ensuing possession, and made two clutch free throws with two seconds left, as the Jaspers pulled out a 77-74 win over Siena this afternoon in front of 2,143 fans at Draddy Gym. The win, Manhattan's 10th in a row, raises its record to 10-4, 6-0 in MAAC play, while the Saints fall to 7-7, 2-4 in MAAC play. The 10 straight wins is current the sixth longest winning streak in the nation.
The Jaspers led by 11, 72-61, with 6:15 to play, and seemed to have the game in hand, but Siena would not go away, using a 13-1 run to take a one point, 74-73, lead on a Tay Fisher three pointer with 43 seconds left in the game, setting up Wingate and Konovelchick's heroics.
Siena opened the game at full throttle, scoring the first nine points of the game. The Saints maintained at least a three point lead until
Jeff Xavier hit a three pointer to cut the lead to two, 37-35, as the team's headed into the break.
The Jaspers scored five of the first seven points of the second stanza to take their first lead of the game, 40-39, with 19:05 left, and the game see-sawed over the next 11 minutes, as the teams traded the lead six times before Manhattan began to assert itself offensively, turning a 60-60 tie with 8:33 left into an 11 point lead, 72-61, with 6:15 left, which set the stage for the dramatic final minutes.
Konovelchick paced the Jaspers with a game-high-tying 19 points, adding five steals.
CJ Anderson added 17 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, as four Manhattan players reached double-figures in scoring.
Arturo Dubois tallied his third double-double of the season with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, while Xavier chipped in with 16 points.
Kojo Mensah led Siena with 19 points.
Manhattan returns to action on Wednesday, January 18, beginning a stretch of four out of five on the road with a MAAC game in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. against the Marist College Red Foxes. The game is slated for a 7:30 tip.
