Trenton, NJ (February 26, 2004)- Rider's Steve Castleberry's putback as time expired snapped Manhattan's eight game win streak, as the Broncs defeated the Jaspers, 57-56, tonight at the Sovereign Bank Arena. Manhattan falls to 21-5, 15-2 in MAAC play.
Manhattan raced out to a quick 7-2 lead, and, after Luis Flores was fouled in transition, Rider head coach Don Harnum was assesses consecutive technical fouls, resulting in his ejection from the game just 4:12 into the game. Flores converted all four free throws to push the lead to 11-2. The Jaspers led by as many as 10, 28-18, after a Jason Benton jumper with 5:06 left before the break as Manhattan went into halftime with a 30-23 lead.
Manhattan shot just 28.6% (8-28) from the field in the opening stanza, put outrebounded the Broncs 24-14, including 11 on the offensive glass.
Rider (16-12, 10-7 MAAC) opened the second half with a 9-2 run to knot the score at 32-32 with 16:03 remaining after two Steve Castleberry free throws. A Terrence Mouton jumper on the baseline gave the Broncs a 35-34 lead, their first since 2-0, with 14:08 left in the game. Flores gave Manhattan back the lead, 41-40, with a conventional three point play with 11:31 remaining. Rider responded with five straight points for a four point lead, 45-41, with 10:38 remaining. After a Dave Holmes free throw tied the score at 45, Rider ran off four straight points to regain a four point lead, 49-45, with 7:05 left. The Broncs extended the run to 8-0 after four straight Jerry Johnson free throws made the score 53-45 with 5:08 remaining.
Six straight points from Flores brought the Jaspers within one, 53-52, with 1:48 left before Jerry Johnson hit a short jumper to extend the lead back to three with 1:30 remaining. Holmes brought Manhattan back to within one, 55-54, with 34.7 left before Flores gave the Jaspers the lead, 56-55, with a driving layup with 15.2 seconds remaining. Rider's Edwin Muniz's three pointer with the clock winding down fell just short, but Castleberry was there to put the ball in the hoop as time expired to give the Broncs the win.
Flores led all scorers with 30 point, while pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the year. Holmes added 11 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks, while Peter Mulligan chipped in with 10 points and six rebounds. The Jaspers outrebounded Rider 40-32, but shot just 32.7% (16-49) from the floor and 11.1% (2-18) from beyond the arc. Manhattan did convert 22 of 27 free throws, including 17-17 from Flores.
Castleberry led three Broncs in double-figures with 15 points, while Jerry Johnson added 12 and Muniz tallied 11.
Manhattan returns to action on Sunday, February 29, when the Jaspers host Marist in the regular season finale at Draddy Gym. Manhattan seniors Luis Flores, Jason Benton, and Dave Holmes will be honored before the game. Tipoff is slated for 2:00 p.m.