Box Score
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. ? Junior guard Darryl Crawford scored a game-high 17 points leading Manhattan (16-11, 9-7 MAAC) to its 16th win of the season with a 54-39 victory at William & Mary (9-18, 4-12 CAA) as part of the 2009 ESPNU BracketBuster series. Chris Smith recorded his second straight double-double finishing with 12 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. The Jaspers closed out the game with a 26-9 run earning their seventh road win of the season.
Smith waited until the 9:41 mark in the second half before hitting his first shot, but it was a big basket which gave Manhattan a 31-30 advantage and sparked an 11-0 run. The sophomore shooting guard capped this surge with a fade away jumper just over three minutes later. All of Smith's points came in the second half as he shot a perfect 5-for-5.
Manhattan's defense tortured the Tribe, especially in the second stanza. The Jaspers limited William & Mary to just three field goals in the final 10 minutes, which included a five minute drought.
The Tribe shot a mere 3-for-23 (13%) from 3-point territory in the game and was just 7-for-29 (24.1%) from the floor in the second half. Junior guard David Schneider, William & Mary's leading scorer (14.5 ppg), was held to seven points on 2-for-12 from the field and 1-for-9 from 3. Danny Sumner (13.5 ppg) led the Tribe with 11 points on 3-for-12 shooting.
Junior Antoine Pearson gave Manhattan quality minutes off the bench and finished with 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting. Pearson energized the Jaspers over their final offensive push when he finished a crafty lay-up, then completed the three point play by sinking a free-throw.
In the first half, Manhattan's active defense disrupted William & Mary holding the Tribe scoreless through the first five minutes of action. The Tribe began the contest shooting 0-for-7 from the field and 0-for-5 beyond the arc. Sumner ended the drought with a 3-pointer at the 14.26 mark.
Pearson and Crawford combined for 14 of the Jaspers' first 19 points in the contest, each tallying seven in the first half. With 4:23 on the clock, Pearson sank a high arching trey just before the shot clock expired to give the Jaspers a 19-13 lead. This was Manhattan's last basket before the break.
William & Mary closed out the first stanza scoring seven unanswered points. Quinn McDowell sent the Tribe into the half with a 20-19 advantage when he hit a driving lay-up with three seconds remaining.
The Jaspers caught fire in the second half shooting 57.1% (12-21) from the field, propelling the team to a comeback victory. Manhattan forced 16 turnovers in the contest and scored 16 points off turnovers.
The win snapped a four game losing streak in the ESPNU BracketBuster and was the first victory since Feb. 21, 2004 when Manhattan defeated Wisconsin-Milwaukee (83-76). William & Mary's 39 points tied the second fewest Manhattan has allowed this season.
Manhattan returns to action on Friday at Fairfield. Tip off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
