NORTH ANDOVER, MA – In pursuit of its fourth straight victory, the Manhattan Jaspers Men's Basketball team (7-9, 3-2 MAAC) fell to the Warriors of Merrimack College (9-7, 5-0 MAAC) by a score of 73-66 inside Lawler Arena on Sunday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Looking to start with four conference victories in its first five games, the Green and White in the Commonwealth against one of the two undefeated MAAC foes heading into the final Sunday of the long holiday two weeks.
- Starting off with a burst were the Jaspers, with Erik Oliver-Bush finding a lane along the baseline for the two-handed dunk to open the game in front.
- The Warriors and Jaspers would exchange baskets before Anthony Isaac took advantage of Devin Dinkins' steal to convert on the fast break layup to tie the game at eight, five minutes into the game.
- Manhattan would go on a mini run of five consecutive points, highlighted by Fraser Roxburgh with a wide-open jump shot converted, before a missed Warrior basket allowed Isaac to tack on to his already made two baskets and give the Jaspers their largest lead of the day at six.
- Again, it was Isaac for the Jaspers who brought Manhattan within one, before the Warriors went on an 11-2 run to advance by double-digits.
- Stopping the bleeding was Marko Ljubicic and Terrance Jones, who brought the deficit to two possessions, before Roxburgh added another two with two minutes left in the first half.
- Opening the second half was Jaden Winston with a three-pointer to bring the Jaspers' deficit back to six for the third time.
- Four minutes later, Roxburgh continued his hot shooting with another three-pointer to bring the game within one possession.
- Another five-consecutive-point run for the Jaspers commenced, capitalized on three Warrior fouls that led to numerous made free throws, and took a one-point lead.
- Manhattan would surrender another five consecutive points and trail by two possessions, highlighted by a Marrero three-pointer.
- The Jaspers would draw numerous fouls and bring the Warrior lead to as little as four down the stretch courtesy of Jones, but it was not enough on the road.
STATS AND NOTES
- Junior guard Jaden Winston supplied 16 points on six-of-10 shooting from the field, with five assists, and three steals in 39 minutes on the floor.
- Sophomore forward Fraser Roxburgh added 16 points of his own on seven-of-14 completed shots from the floor, while corralling eight boards in 32 minutes of game action.
- Junior forward Anthony Isaac logged 16 points for his third double-digit scoring affair in the previous four games. The Blinn College transfer also grabbed eight rebounds and converted four of five from the charity stripe in 19 minutes off the bench.
- The Jaspers won the rebounding battle by five over Merrimack, 37-32. Additionally, the Green and White won the paint battle 38-36 over the Warriors.
NEXT UP
The Jaspers are back in action on Friday, January 9, when the Green and White return home and resume conference play against the Golden Griffins of Canisius University inside Draddy Gymnasium. The contest can be viewed on ESPN+ with a paid subscription.
