RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Backed by a roaring Jasper crowd, the Manhattan College men's basketball team took down rival Iona on Thursday night at Draddy Gymnasium.
"Give credit to our guys tonight. They focused on the game plan and executed it extremely well," said head coach John Gallagher. "Iona is as good as anyone at forcing you into turnovers, and I thought we handled it well. As we continue to grow, we look forward to preparing for Canisius tomorrow."
The Jaspers' hot shooting included 20 points (8-for-15) from Shaquil Bender, who connected on four triples, eight rebounds, and five assists. Jaden Winston registered his first double-double of 11 points, 13 assists, and six rebounds. Daniel Rouzan tallied 16 points, while Perry Cowan had 14.
In the first half, Manhattan shot 41.9 percent from the floor, including eight made 3-pointers.
Manhattan led 36-29 at halftime as they played smart ball to stay one step ahead of the visiting Gaels. Good ball movement led to Manhattan leading for 14 of the 20 minutes while registering 36 points in the paint.
In the second half, the Jaspers shot a whopping 70.4 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Gaels, 13-5.
Iona was led by Jeremiah Quigley, who scored 13 points in 5 of 10 shooting from the floor. The Gael shot 49 percent from the floor and 35.3 percent from long range.
Tonight's win solidifies the Jaspers as the No. 10 seed in next week's MAAC Tournament.
Manhattan hosts Canisius on Saturday at 4 p.m. in game two of the doubleheader with the women playing at 1 p.m.
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