Riverdale, NY (February 29, 2004)- Manhattan honored its three senior players,
Jason Benton,
Dave Holmes, and
Luis Flores before the game, then went out and defeated Marist College, 92-67, in the regular season finale at Draddy Gym. The Jaspers improved to 22-5, 16-2 in MAAC play. The 16 MAAC wins is the most in conference history since the MAAC expanded to an 18 game regular season, and ties the MAAC all-time win total, set by LaSalle, who went 16-0 in conference action during the 1989-90 season. The Jaspers also became the only team in the MAAC to win 20 games each of the last three seasons.
The Jaspers took immediate control of the game, racing out to a 14-2 lead 6:31 into the game. Manhattan extended the lead to as many as 21, 30-9, with 5:41 left before the break, and went into halftime with a 37-18 lead. The 18 first half points allowed was a season best for the Jaspers. Manhattan pulled down 25 first half rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass, while limiting the Red Foxes to 11 rebounds.
In the second half, the Jaspers blew the game open, scoring 29 of the first 42 points of the half to take a commanding 66-31 lead with 12:18 left in the game. Marist closed the game on a 18-9 run, but could get no closer than 21 the rest of the way.
Flores led four Jaspers in double-figures with 23 points, while Holmes,
Peter Mulligan, and
Kenny Minor each added 12. The 12 points was a new career-high for Minor, who added three assists and two steals. For the game, Manhattan held a 45-26 advantage on the boards.
Manhattan returns to action when the Jaspers travel to Albany, NY to participate in the MAAC Tournament. Manhattan is the #1 seed and receives a double bye to the semifinals, playing at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 7.
