Box Score
Box Score
NORMAL, Ill. - Manhattan won its third consecutive road game to start the season, backed by 24 points from George Beamon and 14 points and 13 rebounds from Rhamel Brown, defeating Illinois State 79-70 at Redbird Arena on Wednesday night.
The Jaspers' pressure defense forced several Illinois State turnovers early, helping Manhattan jump out to an 8-0 lead before the 16-minute mark of the first half. After that run, Illinois State climbed back into the game and eventually took a 22-19 lead on a Daishon Knight three-pointer with 8:28 left in the half.
Trailing 24-23 late in the half, the Jaspers ripped off a 10-3 run, sparked by consecutive three-pointers from Donovan Kates, who tallied a season-high 10 points off the bench. That spurt helped lift Manhattan to a 36-30 halftime advantage.
Manhattan continued its stellar play to start the second half. In the first minute of the second half, Michael Alvarado drove right through the Redbirds' defense on the first possession for a layup and Emmy Andujar drained an open three-pointer at the top of the key.
At the 16-minute mark, Shane Richards drilled a three-pointer to cap a 12-3 run to start the half, giving the Jaspers a 48-33 lead, their largest of the game up to that point.
Manhattan's biggest lead of the game was 61-45 after Brown sank two free throws with 9:28 left to play. Illinois State mounted a comeback though and cut the deficit to 63-59 on a three-pointer by Paris Lee at the 5:12 mark.
On the next possession, Beamon rebounded a miss on the weak side and in one motion, made a putback layup to put Manhattan back in front by six, 65-59. The Jaspers' lead never dipped below five points the rest of the way as Manhattan made 10 of its 12 free throws in the final minute and a half to seal the victory.
"I was very proud of the efforts of some of the guys off our bench," head coach Steve Masiello said after the game. "Any time you can come in and win on the road against a team like Illinois State, I think it's a terrific win."
The Jaspers return to action next Tuesday, November 26 in the 106th annual meeting with Fordham. Tipoff at Draddy Gymnasium is at 7 p.m.
NOTES:
Manhattan improved to 3-1 with the win while Illinois State fell to 1-3 ... the Redbirds had won at Northwestern in their previous game ... the Jaspers also started the 2011-12 season with a 3-1 record ... Manhattan dominated the glass, outrebounding Illinois State 46-32 and 17-7 in offensive rebounds ... the double-double was the 14th of Rhamel Brown's career ... George Beamon scored 20+ points for the fourth straight game to open the season ... Beamon also finished with seven rebounds and three steals ... Beamon has totaled at least 20 points in 26 games during his career ... the Jaspers shot 73.9 percent from the foul line, their best percentage in the first four games ... Manhattan is 8-5 all-time against teams from the Missouri Valley Conference ... it was Manhattan's first game in the state of Illinois since the 1992-93 season, when the Jaspers defeated Bradley in Peoria ... CJ Jones, who hails from Chicago, two and a half hours away, and Donovan Kates, who hails from Hopkinsville, Ky., a five and a half hour drive, each had several family members in attendance at the game.
