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SPRINGFIELD, MASS. - The Manhattan men's basketball team is 40 minutes away from advancing to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship Game for the first time since 2004. The Jaspers overcame the first obstacle in their run for the program's fourth championship as #6 Manhattan (13-17) upended the defending MAAC champion #3 Loyola (21-11) 55-52 Saturday at the MassMutual Center.
Junior forward Rhamel Brown delivered his sixth double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Jaspers. It was Brown's third block of the game on Greyhounds' guard Dylon Cormier with 1:41 remaining that set the tone for a strong defensive finish. Manhattan came up with a game-winning stop as sophomore guard RaShawn Stores corralled a loose ball and then buried two clutch free-throws to seal the deal with three seconds remaining in an impressive wire-to-wire victory.
Stores, sophomore forward Emmy Andujar and freshman forward Shane Richards each tallied nine points to help lift Manhattan to its first MAAC Tournament Quarterfinal victory since 1998. Graduate student Roberto Colonette was a force for the Jaspers on the interior as he went off for a season-high seven points, eight rebounds and matched a career best with thee blocks.
The Jaspers had tremendous energy right from the opening tip. Manhattan scored 11 straight points to grab its largest lead of the first half. Richards and Stores buried a pair of three-pointers during the surge, and then Andujar topped it off with a free-throw at 12:34 to put Manhattan out front 18-5.
Loyola made a push in the last two minutes of the half to cut the Jaspers lead to 34-30 at intermission. Cormier's four-point play contributed to an 8-1 run to close out the stanza. The Greyhounds shot a perfect 12-for-12 at the free-throw line in the period with senior forward Erik Etherly going 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.
Brown established his inside game in the second half as he posted eight of his team-high 12 points and grabbed seven of his 12 rebounds in the final 20 minutes. Brown scored three straight field goals for the Jaspers, including a monstrous two-handed dunk. Sophomore forward Donovan Kates then sent Manhattan up 45-32 with a three at 15:25. Two minutes later, Colonette gave Manhattan its largest lead of the game with a layup that topped off a 7-0 run to go up 47-33.
The Greyhounds chipped away at the Manhattan lead, getting it back to single digits with 10 minutes to play. Loyola outscored Manhattan 14-6 in the last 10 minutes as the Jaspers relied on their defense to hold on down the stretch. The Jaspers went without a field goal in the last six minutes of action, but maintained their composure after Cormier made it a one point game with a three-point play with 2:42 remaining. Manhattan came up with stops on the Greyhounds' final two possessions to secure the win.
Manhattan's defense kept Etherly in check after he went for a career-high 30 points against the Jaspers in the regular-season finale last Sunday in Baltimore. The All-MAAC First Team forward shot 1-for-10 from the field, finishing with six points. Greyhounds' forward Anthony Winbush was the only other player besides Cormier (14) to post double-figures as he scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds.
The victory snapped Loyola's six game win streak against Manhattan just before the Greyhounds depart for the Patriot League next season. Manhattan improved to 4-1 all-time against Loyola in the MAAC Tournament.
Manhattan tips off on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. against the seventh-seeded Fairfield Stags. The Jaspers swept Fairfield in their regular-season series. The contest will be available to a national audience with the broadcast airing live on ESPN3 via WatchESPN.
