Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y.- In the 800th basketball contest played at historic Draddy Gymnasium, the Manhattan men's basketball team (2-8) fell to Binghamton (2-6) 70-69 on Saturday afternoon.
In a game which featured 10 lead changes and six tie scores, it was the Bearcats who would finish on top at games end, thanks in large part to sophomore Jimmy Gray's late game heroics.
After the Jaspers took a 69-68 lead on a jumper by junior Kidani Brutus, Binghamton missed a chance to go ahead on the other end but received a crucial second chance after an errant inbound pass on the next play by Manhattan with 7.1 seconds remaining.
Drawing up a tremendous play from the Jaspers' baseline, the Bearcats ran a backdoor screen to perfection with Gray splitting the defense and laying the ball of the glass for 70-69 advantage with five seconds on the clock.
Manhattan sophomore guard George Beamon, who finished with a game-high 20 points and 10 rebounds, had one final attempt on a half court heave but the ball bounced in and out as time expired.
Beamon's second straight double-double was complemented by double digit Jasper scoring efforts from graduate student Demetrius Jemison (13), freshman Michael Alvarado (13) and Brutus (10). Jemison also grabbed seven rebounds in his Manhattan debut, after recently satisfying the NCAA requirements for a graduate transfer waiver.
Manhattan carried a 44-39 advantage into halftime with Beamon scoring 13 points on 4-for-7 shooting and Jemison adding nine points and five rebounds in the stanza. The Jaspers shot 50% (14-28) in the first half and converted 86.7% (13-15) of their free-throws.
The Bearcats did not have trouble scoring in the first half, converting 55.6% (15-27) of its field goals and burying nine 3-pointers. Binghamton finished the game 13-of-30 (43.3%) from downtown with senior forward Moussa Camara knocking down five treys off the bench. The Bearcats also received a superb effort from senior forward Mahamoud Jabbi who posted 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting with four 3-pointers, to go along with a team-high six rebounds.
The Jaspers led by as many as 10 points in the second half, but could not deliver the knock out punch. Manhattan took a 53-43 advantage with 14:34 remaining on a Jemison jumper. The Bearcats clawed back with a 9-0 run, and then tied the game for the sixth time with Jabbi's 3-pointer at 10:15 to lock the game at 55-55.
Jabbi knocked down another 3-pointer at the 8:52 mark to give Binghamton a 58-57 advantage. The Bearcats built its lead to six points (68-62) on Greer Wright's break away dunk at 3:36. Manhattan rallied back with seven unanswered points to take its last lead on Brutus's jumper with 42 seconds left.
Manhattan sophomore center Kevin Laue gave the Jaspers quality minutes off the bench, scoring six points, grabbing three rebounds and blocking two shots. Freshman forward Rhamel Brown added nine rebounds and four points, despite battling foul trouble.
The Jaspers finished the game 17-of-20 (85%) from the free-throw line and shot 42.9% (24-56) from the field. Binghamton's bench outscored Manhattan 25-9.
Manhattan has a seven day break before its next contest against Hofstra. The Jaspers and Pride meet in Draddy Gymnasium next Saturday at 7 p.m.
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