RIVERDALE, NY – Siena Basketball whittled a 26-point deficit with 11 minutes left down to as little as eight late, but the furious rally fell short as Manhattan held on to win 81-69 at Draddy Gymnasium.
Manny Camper posted his ninth double-double of the season – and fourth straight – with a career-high tying 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Tyler Reynolds led four players in double figures with 16 points for Manhattan (7-6, 3-1) which shot 51% from the field including 12-25 from three. The Jaspers had entered play averaging just 61.7 points on 39% shooting including 32% from distance.
Reserve
Gary Harris, Jr. scored all 11 of his points in the first half for Siena (7-7, 3-2) who shot 10-22 from three-point range and held a 37-31 rebounding advantage.
Manhattan shot 57% in the first half including 7-13 from distance to claim a commanding 48-31 lead at the break. The Jaspers turned the Saints over 11 times in the opening stanza fueling a 13-1 advantage in points off turnovers over the opening 20 minutes.
Manhattan ultimately built as much as a 26-point lead at 70-44 with 11:28 remaining, but Siena would not give in. The Saints responded with 16 unanswered points in just 5:09 to kick start a 19-1 run over 8:29 to rally back within as close as 71-63 with still 2:29 to go. Siena held the once potent Jaspers' offense scoreless for 8:07, as Manhattan missed all nine of its field goal attempts while committing six turnovers during that stretch.
But on the next possession, Samir Stewart broke a 9:28 field goal drought with a three to push the lead back to double digits as Manhattan held on to defeat the Saints for the eighth time in the last 10 meetings between the programs in Riverdale. Christian Hinckson scored 14 points and Elijah Buchanan added 10 to round out the double figure scorers for the Jaspers who dished out 19 assists.
Donald Carey was the third Saint in double figures with 10 points, while
Jordan King and
Jalen Pickett contributed eight apiece.
Siena continues its three-game road trip with its annual Western New York swing next weekend. The Saints take on Canisius Friday at 7 p.m. in Buffalo.
