Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Four Jaspers scored in double-figures as the Manhattan men's basketball team rolled to one of its more impressive victories of the year topping Canisius 67-54 Thursday at Draddy Gymnasium. Sophomore forward Donovan Kates led the way with 14 points in the Jaspers' top shooting performance of the year (54.8%). The Jaspers defensive intensity limited Canisius (15-9, 8-5), one of the MAAC's top scoring teams (73.8 ppg), to their second lowest point total of the year.
Manhattan (8-15, 6-7) was powered by the high octane energy of junior forward Rhamel Brown, who scored 13 points on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting night. He swatted three shots to move within one block of tying former Jasper standout Steve Grant (1974-78, 220) for the program's career record.
Jasper guards Michael Alvarado and RaShawn Stores led a 53.8% (7-13) shooting effort from downtown as the former high school teammates combined for a 5-for-5 three-point shooting night. Stores hit all three of his attempts beyond the arc to score 13 of Manhattan's 25 bench points. Alvarado had 10 points with two treys, going along with a game-high four assists.
Senior guard Alshwan Hymes scored a game-high 16 points and junior point guard Billy Baron added 14 for Canisius. Hymes scored eight of his 16 in the last 28 seconds.
Manhattan rushed out to post the first seven points of the game and they never looked back. Sophomore forward Emmy Andujar scored five of his eight points on the tail end of a game-opening 12-1 run. Andujar also led Manhattan with five rebounds anchoring a 29-24 advantage on the glass.
Kates knocked down his first of two threes at 9:02 to open a 20-7 advantage. Four minutes later he sank a pair of free-throws to put Manhattan up 26-9, capping a 14-2 run. Stores had the hot hand in the last three minutes of the first half scoring nine straight points. He buried back-to-back threes, and then converted all three free-throws after being foul on a three-point attempt to propel the Jaspers into halftime with a 35-19 advantage.
Baron scored the Golden Griffs final eight points of the opening stanza in an anemic 4-for-22 (18.2%) shooting effort in the first half. Senior guard Isaac Sosa registered his only three points in the opening period as the Jaspers limited him to 1-for-8 from the field, after he went off for a game-high 25 points in their first meeting of the year last month in Buffalo.
The Jaspers rolled out an 11-2 run at the beginning of the second half to open a 20-point lead that they would maintain for the majority of the half. Kates had five points during the spurt. Graduate student Roberto Colonette posted his two field goals of the night within a minute of each other to put Manhattan ahead 48-23 at the 14:37 mark.
Kates gave Manhattan its largest lead of the season with 12:07 left that sent the Jaspers ahead by 27. The sophomore from Hopkinsville, Ky. shot 5-for-8 from the field and grabbed three rebounds in 33 minutes of action.
Manhattan looks to extend its win streak to three games when the Jaspers visit Fairfield. Due to the predicted winter storm expected to hit the Northeast beginning Friday, the contest originally scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard has been postponed. The game has been rescheduled for Monday, February 11 at 7 p.m.