Riverdale, NY - Sophomore Samir Stewart (Fort Lauderdale, FL / American heritage) scored a season-high 20 points to lead Manhattan to a 69-57 win over Quinnipiac at Draddy Gymnasium.
With the victory, the Jaspers improve to 8-6 and 4-1 in the MAAC, while the Bobcats fall to 9-6 and 4-1 in the league.
Classmate Christian Hinckson (Queens, NY / Tilton School (NH)) filled the stat sheet yet again, finishing with nine points, eight rebounds and nine assists over 34 turnover-free minutes, while adding three steals.
Trailing 12-10 with just over 12 minutes to play in the opening stanza, Manhattan took control of the action with a 12-0 spurt that took 5:57 with every scoring play coming from a different Jasper. Sophomore Elijah Buchanan (So., Bronx, NY / Woodstock Academy (CT)) capped the spurt with three pointer at the 5:51 mark while setting the tone for the night.Hinckson now with 9 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds
— Manhattan Basketball (@JaspersMBB) January 17, 2020
Manhattan leads Quinnipiac 66-55 with 1:14 to play in regulation.
Watch live on ESPN+: https://t.co/Trn0saGBZH pic.twitter.com/DRHBRcsHbX
The Manhattan lead would grow to 11 on three occasions, before Aaron Falzon hit a pair of three pointers to trim the Jasper lead to 32-27 at the break.Media (8:06) | Manhattan 16 Quinnipiac 12
— Manhattan Basketball (@JaspersMBB) January 17, 2020
This Defense-Offense play takes us in to the third stoppage.#JasperNation #BronxBuilt pic.twitter.com/mJWzgnLFZ1
After intermission, Quinnipiac quickly got to within four, only to see Manhattan respond with a 10-2 run, that was highlighted by back-to-back triples from Stewart that stretched the Jasper advantage to 51-39 with 12:56 remaining.
As was the case in the first half, the Bobcats battled back and trimmed the deficit to four at 58-54 with less than four minutes to play. Buchanan quickly dashed the hopes of a Quinnipiac comeback with a three pointer on the immediate possession, while sparking a game-clinching 10-1 burst.
Buchanan scored nine of his 12 points after halftime, while senior Pauly Paulicap (Elmont, NY / Harcum College) added 10 points and seven rebounds to round out the double-digit performers for Manhattan.
Classmate Tyler Reynolds (Syracuse, NY / Harcum College) had a strong game on the glass, matching Hinckson with a team-best eight caroms as the Jaspers surpassed the 40-rebound mark for the fifth time this year.Media (15:28) | Buchanan with slam! Manhattan leads Quinnipiac 43-37 as we head to the first stoppage of the stanza.
— Manhattan Basketball (@JaspersMBB) January 17, 2020
Watch live on ESPN+: https://t.co/Trn0saGBZH#JasperNation #BronxBuilt pic.twitter.com/gkU7kon2QY
Falzon scored 15 points, while Kevin Marfo had nine points and 14 rebounds to lead the way for Quinnipiac.
Notes
* Stewart's 20-point performance is the second of his career.
* The Jaspers handed out a season-high 21 assists, which are the most since distributing 21 in an 80-66 win over Morgan State on December 9, 2017.
* Head Coach Steve Masiello is now 65-39 (.625) at Draddy Gymnasium and 8-6 against the Bobcats.
* He also improved to 54-10 (.844) when limiting teams to less than 60 points.
* Manhattan posted advantages in points off turnovers (9-0), points in the paint (26-16) and fast break points (13-5), while winning the battle of the boards (44-41).
* The Jaspers shot 37.1 percent (26-of-70) from the floor, including 32.1 percent (9-of-28) from deep, and turned it over just six times.
* Quinnipiac made good on 35.8 percent (19-of-53), including 37.0 percent (10-of-27) from long range.
* Manhattan's sophomores combined for 48 points, 19 rebounds, 16 assists and six steals.
Postgame
Up Next
* The Jaspers will look for their third-straight victory when they host Monmouth on Saturday, January 18 at 7:00 pm. Click HERE for tickets.