Manhattan University Athletics

stewart
Big Second Half Fuels Manhattan Win Over Fairfield
Men's Basketball
Posted: 3/4/2021 10:20:00 PM
Box Score (PDF) | Highlights

Riverdale, NY - Manhattan shot a blistering 50.0 percent after halftime in posting a hard-fought 69-59 win over Fairfield in the first of two meetings between the teams at Draddy Gymnasium.

The Jaspers are now 7-11 and 6-11 in the MAAC, while Fairfield falls to 6-16 and 6-11 in the league.

With a win tomorrow, Manhattan would be the No. 5 or No. 6 seed for the upcoming MAAC Championship. With the loss, the Jaspers would be either the No. 9 or No. 10 seed.

Trailing by one early in the second half, junior Samir Stewart (Fort Lauderdale, FL / American Heritage) hit a big triple by the Jasper bench before finishing off the four-point play following the media to give Manhattan a 40-37 lead at the 16:02 mark.
Fairfield would continue to fight and got to within one at 44-43 with 12:28 remaining following a Caleb Green three pointer, before the Jaspers slammed the door on the Stags.

The Green & White would misfire on the ensuing possession, but were given a second chance when junior Marques Watson (Brooklyn, NY / Miami Dade College) picked the pocket of Tshiefu Ngalakulondi and found senior Ethan Lasko (Hollywood, FL / Indiana) for his second triple of the game.

Lasko's long ball was followed by a Romar Reid (So., New Rochelle, NY / Iona Prep) three-point play and a Warren Williams (Jr., Kingston, Jamaica / St. Benedict's Prep) layup as Manhattan ripped off eight-straight points in building what would prove to be an insurmountable 52-43 advantage with 9:36 to play.
Fairfield would cut it to six, but was unable to get any closer as the Jaspers answered every big Stag play down the stretch.

Stewart had 12 points with four assists and two steals, while Williams also had 12 points to go along with three blocks to account for the double-digit performers for the Green & White.

Notes
* Manhattan improved to 5-1 this year when limiting the opposition to less than 60 points, with Head Coach Steve Masiello improving to 63-12 (.840) in his 10 years at the helm of the Jaspers.

* The Green & White also improved to 48-18 (.727) when registering double-figures in steals, and 29-17 (.630) when forcing at least 20 turnovers under Masiello

* 14 of Manhattan's 18 games have now been decided by 10 points or less, with the Jaspers posting a 7-7 record in those match-ups.

* Stewart scored his 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-5 from distance.
* Williams, meanwhile, registered his 12 points on an efficient 5-of-6 performance from the floor.
* Junior Samba Diallo (Rufisque, Senegal / UMass) scored all nine of his points after halftime, highlighted by a pair of highlight-reel dunks, with five rebounds, two steals and a block.
* Classmate Ant Nelson (New York, NY / Seton Hall) filled up the stat sheets with seven points, a team-best six rebounds, a career-high four steals, three assists and a block.
* Reid scored a career-high eight points with three rebounds and two assists off the bench, while Buchanan netted all eight of his points in the opening stanza.
* Manhattan shot 47.3 percent (26-of-55) from the floor, including 36.8 percent (7-of-19) from long range.
* The Jaspers posted a 34-31 margin on the glass, including 10-8 on offensive end.

* Manhattan also registered advantages in the paint (38-20) and in points off turnovers (23-12)

* Fairfield clung to a 32-29 lead at the break, but the deficit could have been higher had it not been for Lasko. The Indiana transfer drew a charge, before hitting a half-ending three pointer.
* The Jasper bench notched 21 points, nine rebounds, five assists, four steals and a block.
* Green scored a game-high 21 points, on 7-of-13 shooting, to pace Fairfield.

Up Next
* The teams will conclude their series tomorrow at 6:00 pm.
 
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