Riverdale, N.Y. (February 6, 2007)- Guy Ngarndi tallied his first collegiate double-double, scoring a game-high 16 points while pulling down a game- and career-high 17 rebounds as Manhattan defeated Saint Peter's, 58-51, tonight at Draddy Gym. With the win, the Jaspers improve to 12-11, 9-4 in MAAC play, and move into a tie for first place with Marist College and Loyola College. Saint Peter's falls to 3-20, 1-12 in MAAC play.
Manhattan scored the first six points of the game, and led, 12-6, with 10:05 left in the first half before three straight Todd Sowell layups brought the Peacocks even at 12-12 with 7:51 left before the break. The Jaspers answered with a 10-2 run, capped by an Antoine Pearson three-pointer, to push the lead to eight, 22-14, 1:33 before halftime. Saint Peter's would score the final three points of the half, but trailed, 22-17, as the teams headed into the locker rooms.
In the second half, Manhattan was able to stretch the lead to as many as nine on three occasions, but could not put the pesky Peacocks away. However, every time Saint Peter's would draw within a basket, Manhattan would score on its next possession to keep the Peacocks at bay. Saint Peter's would threaten late, as three pointers by Kinzey Reeves and Kevin Spann would sandwich two Darryl Crawford free throws, pulling the Peacocks to within a single point, 47-46, but Ngarndi would bury a jumper on the ensuing possession, and would gradually pull away for the win.
Joining Ngarndi in double-figures were Pearson (11 points, two assists), Crawford (10 points), and Patrick Bouli (10 points, six rebounds), as Manhattan held a 40-28 advantage on the boards. Ngarndi's rebounding effort was the best for a Manhattan player since former Jasper CJ Anderson tallied 16 rebounds in a win over St. Francis-NY on December 30, 2005.
Akeem Gooding paced Saint Peter's with 16 points, while Sowell added 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Manhattan returns to action on Friday, February 9, traveling to Lawrenceville, N.J. to take on Rider University in a MAAC game slated to begin at 8:00 p.m.
