Jersey City, N.J. (January 15, 2007)- Arturo Dubois followed up a career-high 31 points against Iona with his first double-double of the season, tallying game-highs of 27 points and a career-high tying 14 rebounds to lead Manhattan to its fifth straight win, a 71-66 MAAC win over Saint Peter's this afternoon at the Yanitelli Center on the Peacock's campus. The win evens the Jaspers' record at 8-8 overall, and 5-1 in MAAC play, while Saint Peter's falls to 3-14, 1-6 in MAAC play.
Playing without leading scorer Devon Austin, who missed the game due to illness, the Jaspers and Peacocks traded baskets over the first five minutes of the game, with a Dubois layup with 15:20 left in the first half evening the score at 9-9. At that point, Manhattan extended its run to 11-0 to open up a nine point, 18-9, lead, 12:29 remaining before the break. With the lead still at nine, 20-11, with 10:12 left in the opening stanza, back-to-back three pointers from Raul Orta brought Saint Peter's within three, and two Todd Sowell free throws diminished the Jasper lead to just one point, 20-19, with 8:32 left before the break. Manhattan keep Saint Peter's at bay until two Orta free throws evened the score at 29 with 3:32 left in the first half, but the Jaspers scored the final six points of the half to take a 35-29 lead into the locker room.
Manhattan would gradually extend the lead in the second half, increasing the lead to as many as 14 points on two occasions, the second making the score 48-34 following a Guy Ngarndi basket with 14:42 left in the game. Saint Peter's would not go quietly, chipping away at the lead until a Sowell three-point play with 3:12 remaining cut the lead to just three points, 64-61. The Peacocks would get no closer the rest of the way, and two Antoine Pearson free throws with 21 seconds left iced the game for Manhattan.
Dubois added three assists, three steals, and two blocks to his total, and was joined in double figured by Pearson (14 points and season-highs with six assists and five steals) and Darryl Crawford (10 points).
Orta paced for Peacocks in double figures with 16 points, as Manhattan tallied a season-high 16 steals to go along with a season-low 11 turnovers, while forcing 21 Saint Peter's turnovers.
The game concluded a stretch that saw Manhattan play nine of 11 games on the road, as the Jaspers return to Draddy Gym on Thursday, January 18 to host MAAC foe Rider University at 7:00 p.m.
