Buffalo, NY (March 5, 2005)- Manhattan rallied from a seven point deficit with 1:56 remaining in the game to pull within two with five seconds left, and, after Fairfield's DeWitt Maxwell missed two free throws, Manhattan had a chance to win the game with a three but
Peter Mulligan was not able to get a shot off in traffic as time expired as no foul was called on the play.
Fairfield raced out to a 10-3 lead over the game's first 3:17 before four straight points from
Arturo Dubois brought the Jaspers back within three with 14:23 left before the half. Fairfield was able to push the lead to as many as 12, 31-19, with 3:27 left before the Jaspers were able to close the half with a 7-2 run, capped by two Mulligan free throws with 36 ticks left, to go into the locker rooms with the score 32-26 in favor of the Stags.
In the second half, the lead never grew above nine or dipped below three until
Jason Wingate was fouled after hitting a three with five seconds left, setting up the controversial finish.
Jeff Xavier led all scorers with a career-high 22 points, the second straight night Xavier tallied a career-high. He added a career-high eight rebounds.
CJ Anderson (10 points, team-high nine rebounds),
Jason Wingate (10 points, career-high tying seven assists), and Mulligan (10 points) joined Xavier in double figures,
The Jaspers conclude their season with a 15-14 overall record.
