New Rochelle, NY (January 25, 2004)- Manhattan saw its eight game winning streak end at the hands of the Iona Gaels, 79-62, this afternoon at the Mulcahy Center on the Iona campus. The Jaspers fall to 13-4, 8-1 in MAAC play.
Manhattan raced out to a 7-1 lead before the Gaels tied the score at eight with a 7-0 run of their own. The Jaspers responded and took a 21-13 lead, their largest of the game, with 11:55 to play before halftime on two
Kenny Minor free throws. The Jaspers held a 22-17 advantage with 9:18 to play in the opening stanza when DeShaun Williams, Iona's leading scorer, picked up his third foul and was forced to the bench.
With Williams on the bench, Iona (6-12, 4-5) responded with a 24-14 run to close out the half, taking a 41-36 lead into the break.
In the second half, Manhattan regained the lead, 45-44, on two
Luis Flores free throws with 15:38 remaining. Iona took back the lead just seven seconds later on two Anthony Bruin free throws and extended the lead to nine, 57-48, with 11:21 left. The Jaspers cut the lead to five, 57-52 on a breakaway dunk by
Jason Benton with 8:27 left, but the Gaels scored the next five points and pulled away for the win.
Flores tallied a team-high 16 points, while
Dave Holmes added a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds. The Jaspers held a 47-43 advantage on the boards, including 26 on the offensive glass, and turned the ball over just nine times, but converted on 28.9% (22-76) of their shots from the field.
Williams led four Gaels in double-figures with 18 points, while Greg Jenkins added eight points, six rebounds, and nine blocks as Manhattan lost its seventh straight game at the Mulcahy Center.
The Jaspers are back in action on Friday, January 30, when they host a double-header with the women's team. The Lady Jaspers tipoff against Canisius at 5:30 with the men's team taking on Niagara following the conclusion of the women's game.
