RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Junior Ashton Pankey (Bronx, N.Y. / Maryland) scored 14 of his team-high 17 points after halftime to lift Manhattan to a 78-67 victory over LIU Post in exhibition action at Draddy Gymnasium.
Pankey's big second half paced five double-figure scorers while sparking a tremendous team effort that saw all 14 student-athletes play and 11 score.
The Jaspers ripped off a 13-1 run over 4:32 spanning the end of the first and the beginning of the second half in stretching a two-point out to 14 and would never seriously be threatened the rest of the way.
In the opening stanza, Manhattan stormed out of the gates on a 7-2 run and led 9-5 with just over 17 minutes remaining following a Jermaine Lawrence (Queens, N.Y. / Cincinnati) jumper.
With the Pioneers up 14-12, Lawrence answered with his second triple of the game and another jumper. Tyler Wilson (So., Bronx, N.Y. / Cardinal Hayes) then stole the ball and found a cutting Rich Williams (So., Brooklyn, N.Y. / Vermont Academy (Vt.)) for a thunderous fast break dunk while capping a 7-0 run and bringing the Sixth Borough to its feet.
LIU Post would manage to hang around and trailed just 33-31 at the final media (3:52) of the half when the Manhattan went to work. After the stoppage, Williams hit a pair from the line before Shane Richards (New York, N.Y. / York Prep) converted a fast break layup. P.J. Torres briefly quelled the spurt with a free throw before senior Donovan Kates (Hopkinsville, Ky. / Christian County) split a pair. Senior Emmy Andujar (Bronx, N.Y. / Rice) followed suit with a pair from the line and Lawrence capped his 15-point half with two freebies while giving the Jaspers a 42-32 lead at the break.
After intermission, Pankey hit a pair of layups while foreshadowing what would prove to be a big second half for the 6-10 forward. Pankey would score eight of the first 13 Jasper points, capped by a thunderous dunk.
Pankey's slam ignited a 10-0 spurt as Andujar followed with a pair from the line. Williams then canned a three pointer before freshman Zane Waterman (Winston-Salem, N.C. / Fayetteville Academy) hit from long range, making it 63-45 with 11:12 to play.
LIU Post continued to hang around and cut the deficit to single-digits on four more occasions only to see the Jaspers answer each time. Andujar helped keep the Pioneers at bay, answering three of the aforementioned spurts at the line and finished up a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe.
For the game, Manhattan converted on 80.6 percent (25-for-31), including a sizzling 87.5 percent (14-for-16) in the second half.
Andujar, like Pankey, finished one rebound short of a double-double (12 points | 9 rebounds) while Richards and Williams each hit for 10 points to round out the double-digit scorers for the Jaspers.
Tyuan Williams scored a game-high 20 points to pace LIU Post.
Manhattan opens the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 15 at Florida State with tip time slated for 1 p.m.
