RIVERDALE, N.Y. - The Manhattan College men's basketball team took a 77-71 defeat to Quinnipiac, in a conference affair at Draddy Gymnasium Friday evening.
"I can't tell you how proud I am of the players inside this building and the locker room. You see the competitive nature of how they play. We have to clean up a lot. I love how they are coachable and they embrace the game plan," said head Coach Gallagher "As we keep moving forward Seydou's three-point shots are exactly what we need. Shaquil Bender has become an elite scorer in this league and we have to look at ways to get these guys the ball and put Rouzan in scoring positions."
Manhattan (5-14, 2-8 MAAC) was led by Seydou Traore who recorded a double-double scoring 17 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Shaquil Bender contributed 15 points for the Jaspers while Jaden Winston had six points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists.
Quinnipiac (17-4, 9-1 MAAC) was led by Matt Balanc who scored 20 points and recorded five rebounds. Amarri Tice added 16 points and five steals for the Bobcats.
Manhattan came out strong, jumping out to a 12-9 lead in the first five minutes. The next chunk of the game was dominated by Quinnipiac, as they went on a 13-3 run to take a 22-15 lead. Cowan hit a three-pointer to narrow it to 22-18, but the Bobcats would continue to push forward. They would extend their lead up to double-digits, but the Jaspers were resilient. The Jaspers turned defense into offense, converting on the fast break, cutting the lead down to 35-31 at the half.
Quinnipiac opened it back up in the second half, extending the lead to 50-35, through six minutes in the second half. The Jaspers refocused, chipping away at the deficit the entire second half cutting the deficit back to single digits, with 7:30 remaining, and as low as a three point deficit, with 4:11 remaining when five straight points from Xinyi Li, made the score 67-64 Quinnipiac. The Bobcats would answer with a three-pointer, followed by a scoreless two minutes before two free throws would give Quinnipiac a 72-64 advantage. Traore came back with a three-pointer of his own to make the score 72-67 with 1:16 remaining, but Manhattan could not string together enough buckets to make a final push. Quinnipiac would connect on its free throws down the stretch, allowing them to walk away with a 77-71 road victory.
Manhattan shot 46.6% from the floor and 34.5% from three-point. They recorded 32 points in the paint and 23 bench points.
Quinnipiac shot 39.7% from the floor and 29% from three-point. They recorded 30 points in the paint and 18 bench points.
The Jaspers will travel to Connecticut to take on Fairfield University this Sunday, February 4th, at 2 p.m.
Tickets: To purchase season or individual tickets, visit gojaspers.universitytickets.com. For any questions call 718-862-7297 or email tickets@manhattan.edu.
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