Box Score
WILMINGTON, N.C. - Manhattan rallied from an early first-half deficit to defeat UNC Wilmington 77-72 at Trask Coliseum on Sunday afternoon. It is the sixth straight road victory for the Jaspers to begin the season as Manhattan improves to 7-2.
UNC Wilmington jumped out to a 19-8 advantage after the first eight minutes before the Jaspers stormed back. Emmy Andujar found Rhamel Brown for a layup, then RaShawn Stores fed Brown again for an emphatic dunk to start the rally. By the time the first half ended, Manhattan had ripped off a 26-11 run to take a 34-30 lead at halftime.
Manhattan extended its lead to 10 points at 44-34 when George Beamon converted a three-point play at the 16:16 mark of the second half. The Jaspers still led by 10 points, 63-53, when Shane Richards drilled a three-pointer with 6:37 left in the game.
UNC Wilmington cut the Manhattan lead to four points three different times in the final minutes up until the final minute. With Manhattan ahead 75-70, the Seahawks got to within three points at 75-72 on a dunk by Addison Spruill with 35 seconds left. The Jaspers made two free throws in the waning seconds however and clamped down on defense to seal the victory.
"Give UNC Wilmington credit. They played hard and jumped out on us early," head coach Steve Masiello said after the game. "We showed great resiliency from a mature team. Just a good road win for us."
Beamon finished with a game-high 23 points and added six rebounds to pace the Jaspers. Brown made five of six from the field to finish with 16 points and Andujar had a terrific all-around game with 10 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
Cedrick Williams led the Seahawks with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Spruill added 15 off the bench for UNC Wilmington.
Now 7-2 on the season and winners of four straight games, Manhattan returns to action on Tuesday, December 17 at South Carolina at 7 p.m.
NOTES:
Manhattan made 12 of 25 field goals in both the first half and the second half, shooting 48 percent for the game ... UNC Wilmington also made 12 of 25 field goals in the second half ... the Jaspers had 12 assists and 11 turnovers ... Manhattan scored more than 70 points in eight of its first nine games ... George Beamon passed Larry Lembo '65 to move into seventh place on Manhattan's all-time scoring list ... he now has 1,464 career points ... Rhamel Brown blocked two shots and has at least two blocked shots in every game this season ... Ashton Pankey made four of five field goals and finished with nine points in 14 minutes ... Manhattan has won each of the two meetings with UNC Wilmington in program history.