Box Score Box Score (PDF) | Box Score (HTML)
Estero, FL - Alize Johnson hit a pair of late buckets to lift Missouri State to a 69-65 win over Manhattan in second round play at the 2017 Gulf Coast Showcase (GCS).
The preseason Missouri Valley Conference favorite Bears improve to 3-2 while the Jaspers fall to 2-2.
Manhattan will conclude play at the GCS on Wednesday, November 22 at 11:00 am against Northern Illinois.
Trailing 61-57, Ronnie Rousseau III hit a pair from the line for Missouri State before J.T. Miller tied it up with a jumper at the 3:47 mark. Obediah Church would later give the Bears their first lead since early in the first half only to see senior
Rich Williams (Brooklyn, NY / Vermont Academy (VT)) answer with a pair from the line at the 2:29 mark.
Missouri State would again retake the lead with a Johnson layup only to have Williams again answer, this time with a jumper from the right side to knot it up at 65-65 with 42.0 seconds to play.
Unfortunately, Johnson hit another layup in giving the Bears a 67-65 advantage with 12 seconds to play and the Jaspers were unable to answer.
Johnson showed Manhattan why he is considered an NBA prospect with a game-high 17 points to go along with five rebounds.
Williams and sophomore
Aaron Walker Jr. (Brooklyn, NY / Cardozo) each had 15 to pace the Jaspers.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- The Jaspers scored 12-straight points in the first half en route to ripping off a 17-3 run that took 6:13 and turned a six-point deficit to a 27-19 advantage with 5:43 until halftime.
- In the spurt, Walker Jr. had nine points and senior
Calvin Crawford (Middletown, NY / St. Thomas More (CT)) six.
- After falling behind by a 16-10 count, Manhattan would score on 10 of its next 14 possessions, spanning 8:50.
- Sophomore Pauly Paulicap (Elmont, NY / Harcum College) had eight points and a career-high five blocks.
- The five rejections are the most by a Jasper since
Rhamel Brown had nine rejections at Siena on February 21, 2014.
- Crawford handed out a career-high four assists.
- The Jaspers shot 55.2 percent (16-of-29) from the field in the first half, including 50.0 percent (5-of-10) from deep.
- Freshman Nehemiah Mack (Harrisburg, PA / Massanutten Academy (MA)) earned his first collegiate start and had four points and three assists.
- Missouri State made good on just 1-of-11 from long range against a stout Manhattan defense ... Opposing shooters have now converted on just 21-of-76 (.276) against the Jasper defense after SFBK started 8-of-13 (.615) in the opener.
UP NEXT
Manhattan will take on NIU tomorrow at 11:00 am.
