| GAME 12 |
| SCORE |
Manhattan Jaspers 58, Niagara Purple Eagles 55 |
| RECORDS |
Manhattan (5-4, 4-4 MAAC), Niagara (5-7, 4-6 MAAC) |
| LEADING SCORERS |
Manhattan – Elijah Buchanan (14), Niagara – Raheem Solomon (13) |
| LOCATION |
Draddy Gymnasium |
RIVERDALE, N.Y. – The Niagara Purple Eagles' second-half rally came up short in the final seconds in a 58-55 defeat to the Manhattan Jaspers on Saturday.
Game Summary
The Purple Eagles erased an 11-point second-half deficit to tie the game with eight minutes remaining but were unable to take the lead down the stretch.
Manhattan led 42-31 with 13:40 left in the second half when the Purple Eagles mounted their comeback in a tune-of a 13-2 run in five minutes. Niagara scored the game's next seven points with
Raheem Solomon accounting for five of those points as NU trailed 42-38 with 10:35 remaining. After a Manhattan basket, the Purple Eagles scored six straight points which were capped by a
Jordan Cintron layup to tie the game at 44-44 with 8:36 left.
Manhattan's Ant Nelson made a jumper on the Jaspers' next possession to take a 46-44 lead to start a 7-1 run over the next three minutes.
Jordan Cintron, a Bronx native, made a layup to cut Manhattan's lead to 53-51 with 2:22 on the clock. The Purple Eagles trailed 55-53 heading into the final minute but had an empty possession when they had a chance to tie or take the lead. Both teams then added a pair of free throws as Manhattan led 57-55 with six seconds remaining.
After Manhattan's Nelson made one of two free throws for a 58-55 lead,
Marcus Hammond's deep 3-pointer missed as time expired.
The opening ten minutes witnessed five ties, including a 14-14 tie with 10 minutes remaining in the half. The Jaspers, then, outscored the Purple Eagles 17-6 over the next eight minutes to build a 31-20 advantage. Hammond, who led NU in scoring with seven points in the half, made three straight free throws to cut Manhattan's lead to 31-23 at the break.
Eagle's Eye On…
- Raheem Solomon led the Purple Eagles in scoring for the first time this season, finishing with 13 points.
- Marcus Hammond scored in double figures for the tenth straight game, chipping in 10 points, while leading NU in rebounds with six, assists with two, and sharing team-high marks in steals with one.
Inside The Numbers
- Niagara outscored Manhattan in points off turnovers (11-6), fast-break points (4-3), and bench points (24-20).
Up Next
- The Purple Eagles continue their road swing against the Iona Gaels on January 22-23 at 2 p.m.
- Coverage of the game will be provided by ESPN+/ESPN3 and by the Niagara Sports Network via 107.3 FM/AM 1400 and www.PurpleEagles.com/Watch.
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