Riverdale, NY (January 30, 2004)- Manhattan trailed for the first 38:02 of the game, before Luis Flores sank a three pointer from the right wing to give the Jaspers their first lead of the night, 61-60, and Manhattan held on for the 65-62 win tonight at Draddy Gym. Flores led all scorers with a season-high tying 32 points as the Jaspers improve to 14-4, 9-1 in MAAC play.
The Jaspers trailed by six, 51-45, with 10:34 left in the game, before embarking on a 10-4 run to tie the score at 56-56, on a Flores layup, the first tie since the score was 0-0. The teams traded baskets before Flores connected on the long range jumper to give Manhattan the lead. Niagara (12-6, 6-3), regained the lead on a Juan Mendez layup in traffic with 49 seconds left, before Dave Holmes drew a foul under the basket and connected on both free throws to give the Jaspers back the lead with 35 ticks on the clock.
Niagara had the ball with 17 seconds left and worked for the last shot, but Manhattan managed to tie up Mendez, causing a jump ball that gave the Jasper the ball back with five seconds left. Manhattan inbounded the ball to Flores, who hit both free throws, and David Brook's three point attempt fell short as time expired.
Niagara score the first four points of the game before a Flores three brought the Jaspers within one, but the Purple Eagles held strong, leading by as many as nine (23-14) in the first half. Manhattan could get no closer than three in the opening stanza and went into the break down by five, 36-31.
Holmes joined Flores in double-figures with 15 points and seven boards. Mike Konovelchick added eight points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks. The Jaspers won the battle of the boards, outrebounding Niagara, 32-27
James Reaves tallied a double-double for Niagara recording team-highs with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Juan Mendez (12 points), Tremmell Darden (12 points), and Brooks (10 points) each reached double figures.
Manhattan returns to action when the Jaspers host Canisius on Sunday, February 1 at 4:00 p.m.