Riverdale, NY (December 7, 2003)- Manhattan senior guard Luis Flores hit a 35-foot jumper as time expired in the first half to give the Jaspers a 33-32 lead at the break, and Manhattan scored 14 of the first 16 points of the second half on the way to a 72-54 win in the Jaspers' MAAC opener.
The game was close throughout the first half, as neither team could gain control. Manhattan took a quick 5-2 lead over the first three and a half minutes, the largest lead by either team in the opening stanza, but the Bronc (4-2, 1-1 MAAC) responded with an 8-2 run to take a 9-8 lead with 13:02 left before halftime. The Jaspers scored the next five points to take a four point lead (13-9) with 11:03 left in the half and neither team led by more than two the rest of the half. A three point play by Rider's Jerry Johnson put the Broncs up by two with 25 second left before halftime, and, after a Manhattan (3-1, 1-0) miss and a Rider foul gave the ball back to the Jaspers with 2.5 seconds left, Flores hit the long range three as time expired to give Manhattan the lead (33-32) and momentum heading into the break.
Manhattan used the momentum gained by Flores' buzzerbeater, opening the second half with a 14-2 run to open up a 13 point (47-34) margin with 13:47 to play. Rider cut the lead to eight with a 5-0 run of their own, but the Jaspers responded with an 11-2 run to put Manhattan up 17 (58-41) with 8:16 left, sealing the win. Rider would draw no closer than 13 the rest of the way, as the Jaspers would lead by as many as 21 in winning their MAAC opener for the third straight year.
Flores led all scorers with a game-high 20 points. Jason Wingate (career-high 15 points and four rebounds), Dave Holmes (13 points), Mike Konovelchick (10 points), and Peter Mulligan (10 points, team-high seven rebounds) joined Flores in double-figures. Edwin Muniz led the Broncs with 12 points, while Steve Castleberry added 11 and Jerry Johnson chipped in with 10 points, all in the first half.
The Jaspers take time off for exams before returning to action on Wednesday, December 17, when they travel to Syracuse to take on the defending national champion Orangemen at 7:00 p.m.