Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. - The Manhattan men's basketball team suffered a 66-58 loss on Sunday to Siena (17-4, 10-0 MAAC) at Draddy Gymnasium. Junior guard Rico Pickett led the Jaspers scoring effort for the eighth straight game finishing with 20 points. The Saints used double-doubles from big men Alex Franklin and Ryan Rossiter to get past Manhattan (7-13, 2-8 MAAC) in the Jaspers fifth straight setback.
The teams traded leads five times in the first half. Manhattan erased an early deficit with an 11-2 run to take a five point advantage with 13:34 remaining in the period. Pickett converted an acrobatic lay and sank a free-throw to complete the three point play giving Jaspers a 13-8 lead, it's largest of the game.
Siena rallied back and scored eight unanswered points over a four minute span to gain a 26-17 lead. Saints' junior transfer Kyle Griffin capped the surge with his third 3-pointer of the first half at 5:54. Griffin scored all 12 of his points in the first period, all coming behind the arc as he carried Siena into the break with a 35-28 lead. Griffin shot 4-for-6 from downtown in the contest.
Pickett scored 14 of his 20 points in the first half, including a surge where he scored 12 straight points for the Jaspers. Midway through the opening stanza he sank a trick shot as lofted the ball at the rim behind his back as he was falling to the floor.
The teams battled in an even second half, but the Saints maintained their advantage to the finish. The Jaspers rallied from a 12 point deficit rolling on a 9-1 scoring run to trail by four points with 1:23 left. Manhattan came up with a defensive stop and had the opportunity to make it a one possession game, but Darryl Crawford's jumper fell off the mark. Siena sank its final four free-throws as the Saints held off Manhattan.
Crawford was held below his scoring average with nine points and he dished out a team-high four assists. Senior forward Brandon Adams added nine points despite battling foul trouble Djibril Coulibaly posted career-highs with eight points and seven rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench.
Franklin erupted for 27 points and 10 rebounds in the Saints 11th straight victory. Rossiter had 16 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
Siena converted 20-of-29 free-throw attempts to Manhattan's 12-for-16 effort. The Jaspers were outshot from the floor going 36% to the Saints' 42%.
Manhattan returns to action on Thursday when the Jaspers travel to Rider. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
