Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. - The Jaspers were clicking on all cylinders in the 102nd "Battle of the Bronx" as Manhattan (4-2) rolled to its third straight victory defeating Fordham (1-4), 68-44, before a sell out crowd at Draddy Gymnasium. Jaspers' guard Antoine Pearson led the way with 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting to make his claim for the John "Doc" Johnson Most Valuable Player Award. Teammate Darryl Crawford contributed 15 points and nine rebounds to the effort, while Rico Pickett led the Manhattan bench with 14 points.
"We feel fortunate to play well tonight from start to finish to earn the victory," stated Manhattan's fourth year head coach Barry Rohrssen. "It's nice to be part of a tradition like this. We have a great amount of respect for Fordham, both their team and school."
Crawford got the Jaspers going by opening the contest with a 3-point play which sparked an 11-2 run. Fordham started the game shooting 1-for-10 from the field in the first six minutes. The Jaspers then burst out to a double-digit advantage courtesy of a 17-4 run spanning for nearly seven minutes. The scoring surge was capped by a Crawford's jumper at 5:22 to go ahead 28-10.
Pearson sent the Jaspers into intermission with a dazzling 40-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Manhattan a 39-18 lead at the break. It was the most first half points Manhattan had scored this season after shooting a solid 57.1% (16-28) from the floor. Pickett led the Jaspers at halftime with 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting.
Defensively, Manhattan forced Fordham into 12 turnovers, while limiting the Rams to only five field goals (5-16 - 20%) in the first half. Fordham committed 21 turnovers and shot 25.5% (13-51) in the contest. The Rams were 0-for-11 from 3-point territory.
Manhattan's hot shooting cooled off a little in the second half, but the Jaspers maintained a double-digit advantage all the way to the finish. Pearson scored nine second half points and swiped five steals for the second straight contest tying a career-high.
Junior big men Andrew Gabriel and Laurence Jolicoeur blocked three shots apiece. Gabriel finished with six points and four rebounds. Patrick Bouli was also solid on the defensive end grabbing three steals and four rebounds. Senior forward Brandon Adams was a bright spot in a reserve role adding eight points and pulling down eight boards. The Manhattan bench outscored Fordham 28-6.
The Jaspers shot a season-best 49% from the field. Manhattan scored 32 of its points in the paint and got 21 off turnovers.
Manhattan carries its longest winning streak since last February to Western New York next weekend when the Jaspers open MAAC play on Friday at Niagara. Tip off is slated for 7 p.m.
