Box Score
Box Score
BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Manhattan rallied from a seven-point deficit in the final minute of regulation to tie the game and ultimately win it in overtime, 84-81, at Barclays Center on Saturday afternoon.
With Manhattan in front 9-8 in the early stages of the game, an altercation broke out in front of the Manhattan bench between the two teams after a foul on the interior. Manhattan's Michael Alvarado and Donovan Kates briefly left the bench, returned to their seats but were ejected due to NCAA regulations. There was no further action between the two teams but it left the Jaspers without two key players.
"I had a good conversation with our team at halftime and after the game," head coach Steve Masiello said after the game. "We were very fortunate to get out of here with a win."
The Jaspers may have been fortunate to survive an early setback but Manhattan showed the resilience it has shown all season in clawing back to a two-point deficit at halftime, 41-39.
A George Beamon layup and an Ashton Pankey tip-in gave Manhattan a two-point edge early in the second half as neither team led by more than two points in the second half until the 8:04 mark. At that point, Shane Richards sank two free throws to push Manhattan's lead to 62-58. The lead eventually stretched to 64-58 when Emmy Andujar found Ashton Pankey for a layup with 7:16 remaining.
Buffalo then stormed back with a 9-0 run over the next three minutes to take a 67-64 lead. After Beamon canned a corner three-pointer, Buffalo regained the lead and moved out to a 74-68 advantage with a minute left on two free throws by Jarod Oldham.
Trailing 75-68 with 37 seconds left, Richards buried a three-pointer from the top of they key to make it a four-point game. After Oldham made one of two from the foul line, Beamon drew contact and made an off-balance layup to draw the Jaspers closer. Beamon finished off the three-point play to make it a 76-74 game with 18 seconds left.
The Jaspers fouled again and again Buffalo made one of two free throws to leave the door slightly open. Down by three with the clock winding down, Richards found himself open at the top of the key. With a defender flying at him, Richards pump-faked and drew contact. He went to the line for three foul shots with 5.4 seconds to play.
Richards calmly sank the first, prompting a Buffalo timeout. Following the timeout, Richards made the second and then the third, tying the game and eliciting a roar from the Manhattan cheering section.
To start overtime, Beamon made one of two from the foul line and drilled a three-pointer on the following possession to give the Jaspers a four-point lead, 81-77. Buffalo responded in similar fashion, with a free throw and a Joshua Freelove triple to tie the score at 81-81 with 54 seconds left.
After a scramble for a loose ball underneath the Buffalo hoop, Rich Williams scooped up the loose ball and laid it in to give Manhattan an 83-81 lead with 18 seconds left. On the other end, Oldham went up for a dunk and Rhamel Brown came from the weak side to swat it away and preserve the lead. As Buffalo kept possession, Brown came up with another huge block on Freelove as he drove the lane.
With nine seconds left, RaShawn Stores made one of two free throws to give Manhattan an 84-81 advantage. Needing a three to tie, Shannon Evans' three-pointer went off the front rim as the Jaspers' bench celebrated its sixth straight win.
"I couldn't be more proud of our team," Masiello said after the game. "I think that's one of the greatest wins we've had since I've been here."
Beamon scored 22 points for Manhattan, which also received 10 points from Pankey and Stores. Andujar had nine points, six assists and a career-high four steals while Brown finished with eight points, six rebounds and four blocked shots, all afer the first half.
Now 9-2 on the season, Manhattan returns to action on Thursday, January 2 at Saint Peter's at 7 p.m.
NOTES:
The Jaspers have won eight straight games away from Draddy Gymnasium to start the season ... Manhattan now owns a six-game win streak ... the Jaspers won all five of their games in the month of December ... that was the second overtime game the Jaspers have played this season ... Manhattan made 30 of 36 from the free throw line ... Buffalo made 30 of 37 from the line ... the Jaspers had 16 steals, a season high ... Manhattan forced 22 Buffalo turnovers ... George Beamon scored 20+ points for the eighth time in 11 games ... Rhamel Brown has blocked at least two shots in every game this season ... Manhattan posted a 20-11 record during the 2013 calendar year.
