RIVERDALE, N.Y. – Manhattan went on a 10-0 run and made timely plays in the second half to secure a 56-53 win over Fairfield on Thursday night in the MAAC opener for both teams.
"It was a great win, especially to open league play," said interim head coach
RaShawn Stores after the game. "We continue to grow one day and game at a time. Conference games are always tough. We are trying to get better towards March."
Manhattan (3-3, 1-0 MAAC) trailed by three at the half but used a 10-0 run early in the second half to take a 36-34 lead with 14:27 to play in the game. The stretch was capped by a
Nick Brennen 3-pointer and a steal and score from
Ant Nelson on the ensuing Fairfield (2-6, 0-1) possession.
Brennen finished the night with 11 points on 4-8 shooting. The guard hit three 3-pointers, two of which gave the Jaspers a lead in the second half. The guard connected from beyond the arc with 9:17 to play to provide Manhattan with a 44-41 lead and then again with 3:06 to play to make it 54-51 Jaspers. Brennen also took a charge inside the final 40 seconds to cause a turnover as the Jaspers were clinging to a 55-53 lead.
Josh Roberts collected his third block of the game when he rotated over and rejected a shot from Chris Maodih with 65 seconds to play on a potential game-tying layup. On the prior Fairfield possession, the Jasper defense forced a turnover when
Adam Cisse deflected and stole an inbound pass with one second left on the shot clock.
In the second half, defensively, the Jaspers limited Fairfield to 18-percent from 3-point range. Manhattan held Fairfield to 32-percent shooting, which is eight points below its season average, for the game. The Stags finished 7-31 from 3-point range and committed 16 turnovers.
Manhattan's offense started clicking in the second half. After not making a 3-pointer in the opening 20 minutes, the Jaspers hit five in the second half to help in the victory. The Jaspers shot 54-percent from the floor in the second half after only connecting on 37-percent of their attempts over the first 20 minutes.
Nelson finished with a game-high 18 points and added five assists and three steals.
Samir Stewart was the other Jasper in double figures with 10 points (4-9). Roberts finished with eight points and nine rebounds.
Caleb Fields had 12 points to lead Fairfield.
It is a quick turnaround for the Jaspers as they welcome Monmouth to Draddy Gymnasium on Sunday at 2 p.m. The Jaspers and Hawks will air on ESPN+.
