RIVERDALE, N.Y. - The Manhattan College Men's Basketball team fell 82-75 at Draddy Gymnasium in another conference tilt.
The Jaspers (4-12, 1-6 MAAC) were led in scoring by Shaquil Bender who scored 21 for Manhattan. Daniel Rouzan added 13 points and eight rebounds in the contest.
The Fairfield (12-7, 6-2 MAAC) attack was led by Caleb Fields who scored 25 points and pulled down six rebounds. Jalen Leach scored 23 and had five steals for the Stags.
"I'm so proud of our team's effort today, against one of the best teams in our league. We are not fully healthy yet," said Coach Gallagher. "We are playing guys who aren't 100 percent yet. When they get 100 percent, you will see us play better."
In what started out as a back and forth game, the Jaspers jumped to an early 12-8 lead with 14:28 remaining in the first half. From this point forward, it was a half full of runs. Fairfield went on a commanding 15-2 run, soaring to a 23-14 lead with 9:57 remaining. Manhattan answered with an 8-0 run to make the score 23-22, followed by a 10-0 Fairfield run, extending their lead to 33-22 with 6:07 to play in the frame. Nine straight points by Manhattan tightened the gap to 33-31 with 3:54 remaining. Two more baskets by each team gave Fairfield a 38-35 halftime lead.
The start of the second half was all Fairfield, as they extended their lead to double-digits once again, this time up 53-41, their largest lead of the contest. The Jaspers spent the rest of the half, slowly cutting into the lead, cutting the deficit to three with 2:41 remaining, when a Bender three-pointer made the score 73-70 Stags. The next three possessions, Manhattan would have good looks from beyond the arc to tie the game, but could not connect, eventually having to foul Fairfield, allowing them to extend the game to 75-70. Seydou Traore answered with a three-pointer with 21 seconds remaining, but Fairfield would connect for a three pointer of their own, to go up 78-73 on Manhattan. Rouzan would respond with an and-one layup but missed the free throw, giving Fairfield the ball with nine seconds left and a three point lead. Fairfield connected on their late-game free throws, earning themselves the win.
Manhattan shot 45.3% from the floor and 35.3% from three-point. They recorded 32 points in the paint and 15 bench points.
Fairfield shot 43.5% from the floor and 55.6% from three-point. They recorded 22 points in the paint and 20 bench points.
Manhattan heads on a road trip to upstate New York next weekend, to take on Canisius on Friday, January 26, at 7 pm, followed by a game at Niagara on Sunday, January 28, at 2 pm.
Tickets: To purchase season or individual tickets, visit gojaspers.universitytickets.com. For any questions call 718-862-7297 or email tickets@manhattan.edu.
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