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Riverdale, NY - Manhattan shot a blistering 70.8 percent (17-of-24) after halftime and placed five in double-figures for the second time this year in defeating Quinnipiac 84-77.
The Jaspers scored a season-high matching 53 second-half points while using a 22-5 run that spanned the end of the first and the beginning of the second half in overcoming a 13-point Bobcat advantage.
With the win, Manhattan improves to 10-12 and 7-6 in the MAAC while Quinnipiac falls to 8-15 and 5-9 in the league.
Sophomore Zane Waterman (Winston-Salem, NC / Fayetteville Academy) led all players with 19 points and 11 rebounds en route to notching his second career double-double. Junior Rich Williams (Brooklyn, NY / Vermont Academy (VT)) and sophomore Calvin Crawford (Middletown, NY / St. Thomas More (CT)) each added 18 points and five rebounds off the bench to round out the top scorers.
Seniors Shane Richards (New York, NY / York Prep) and RaShawn Stores (Bronx, NY / Robinson School (NJ)) combined to hand out 13 assists, against just two turnovers, while facilitating the Jaspers' offensive masterpiece, with Richards finishing with a game and career-high seven.
Quinnipiac dominated the first half and led 40-27 with 1:27 to play until halftime when Manhattan turned the tide. The Jaspers hit a pair of free throws before Stores hit a layup with time expiring to trim the deficit to nine at the break.
After halftime, Crawford hit a layup off a Stores pass before Richards stole the ensuing inbounds pass and found Stores for a game-changing three pointer to trim the deficit to 40-36 with 19:37 to play while forcing a Bobcat timeout just 23 seconds into the half.
Manhattan would keep up the pressure and as Stores hit a free throw before Williams slammed one home. Quinnipiac would briefly answer with a triple only to see Williams respond with a three pointer and a layup in staking the Jaspers to a 44-43 lead with 17:04 to play in the game.
Crawford would cap Manhattan's tide-changing 22-5 run with an emphatic slam off of a Stores pass in giving the Jaspers what would prove to be an insurmountable 49-45 lead with 15:20 to play.
Quinnipiac would fight back to tie the game on three occasions only to see Manhattan respond each time.
The Jaspers opened the second by making good on 12-of-14 from the floor and missed as many shots (7) as they did free throws (7) after halftime.
Playing against the nation's top rebounding unit, Manhattan did an outstanding job, losing the glass battle by a scant 36-35 margin.
For the game, the Jaspers shot 49.1 percent (27-of-55) from the floor, including 50.0 percent (7-of-14) from deep, while handing out 18 assists, recording nine steals and blocking a season-high six shots.
Daniel Harris was 5-of-5 from long range en route to recording 16 points while pacing a trio of double-figure scorers for the Bobcats.
Manhattan will look to make it two in a row at Marist on Saturday, February 13 at 7:00 pm.
