RIVERDALE, NY – The Manhattan Jaspers Men's Basketball team (10-16, 6-9 MAAC) took down the Pioneers of Sacred Heart University (10-16, 6-9 MAAC) by a score of 80-68 on Saturday afternoon inside Draddy Gymnasium.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Jaspers were back in action and primed to bounce back after narrowly falling to the Peacocks just 48 hours prior in what was a spectacular comeback effort by the Green and White.
- Falling behind by five quickly were the Jaspers, but they were able to crawl back with Devin Dinkins and Marko Ljubicic logging back-to-back baskets.
- Trading buckets for the next four minutes, the under-16 teams were both teams alike. Eight minutes into the game, the Jaspers were able to tie the game, and eventually go ahead, solely thanks to Jaden Winston's layup, and scoop and steal that followed suit with a fast break two for its first lead of the day.
- Three minutes after its first lead, the Jaspers were again trailing by three, before Winston's triple tied the game at 24.
- Sacred Heart would go on a 10-0 run for the next five minutes, before Ljubicic and Roxburgh stopped the bleeding with back-to-back three-point baskets to cut its deficit to four.
- Off a turnover, Winston continued to push the pace with another three-point basket to cut the Pioneers' lead to just four, before Sacred Heart countered with another three of its own to end the first stanza ahead by seven.
- In the second half, the Jaspers continued to keep things close with the Pioneers, as Dinkins netted a timely three to cut the deficit to just one possession, before Isaac powered his way through the paint to tie the game at 52.
- Both teams continued to trade baskets before Roxburgh sank home another three-pointer to give Manhattan its largest lead of the day at five.
- The Australian native in Roxburgh sank home the dagger with 72 seconds down low for a nine-point lead.
STATS AND NOTES
- Junior guard Jaden Winston registered all 40 minutes on the afternoon and posted a team high 21 points, while grabbing three rebounds, four assists, and two steals, on a 6-for-12 afternoon, that included seven-for-nine from the charity stripe.
- Sophomore forward Fraser Roxburgh posted 15 points on a five-of-10 afternoon, with three triples in five attempts, to continue where he left off from his career night on Thursday against Saint Peter's. Roxburgh added two steals and grabbed six caroms in 28 minutes.
- Graduate guard Terrance Jones grabbed a career high 13 rebounds for his first-ever double-digit rebound game. Jones also posted the first double-double of his career, with three assists logged, one steal, and added the team's lone block in 36 minutes.
- Sophomore forward Marko Ljubicic supplied 11 points on five-of-eight shooting from the floor, which included one three-pointer, and one rebound in 14 minutes.
- Junior forward Anthony Isaac was the fifth Jasper to record double-digit points with 10 on four-of-seven shooting. Isaac continued his dominance in rebounds with six and added another two from the offensive end. Additionally, Isaac assisted on one basket in 28 minutes off the bench.
- The Jaspers won the points-off-turnover battle with 19 on Sacred Heart's 11 turnovers.
- With the second-half comeback, the Jaspers posted their most significant margin in the second half at +19, after trailing by seven at the half. This was the largest second-half comeback for the Jaspers this year, after the Quinnipiac contest on Friday, January 2, when Manhattan posted a +15 in the final 20.
- The Jaspers sit ninth in the MAAC standings, tied with Sacred Heart, but hold the tiebreaker with the victory this afternoon over the Pioneers, and are a half game behind Iona for the eighth spot.
QUOTES FROM THE JASPERS
Head Coach John Gallagher: "We just keep on coming. Even in practice yesterday. You can do an hour and 10 minutes, and we really competed. I said to the staff, the momentum is going to flip. I don't know when. It could be today, tomorrow, or next week. But it's going to. There will be good days, the next 26 or so days."
Graduate guard Terrance Jones: "I always think defense first. Tonight, we badly needed a win. I needed to put a spark in the team."
NEXT UP
The Green and White continue its conference schedule in Western New York as the Jaspers visit the Purple Eagles of Niagara University on Friday, February 13, beginning at 6:30 p.m. inside the Gallagher Center. The contest can be viewed on ESPN+ with a paid subscription.
