ALBANY, NY – Samir Stewart hit the go-ahead three with 3:39 remaining to lead Manhattan to a 67-66 victory to spoil Siena Basketball Senior Night at MVP Arena.
 
Stewart was one of five players in double figures with 11 points as part of a balanced attack for Manhattan (12-16, 10-9) which swept the regular season series for the second straight year. Marques Watson led the way with 15 points and seven rebounds for the Jaspers who escaped Albany with just their fourth win in their past 21 games in the Capital Region.
 
Javian McCollum scored a career-high 30 points and dished out six assists for Siena (17-13, 11-8) which has dropped four straight. McCollum shot 10-16 from the field including 5-10 from three to become the first Saint to hit the 30-point barrier in four years, since Jalen Pickett dropped 46 here in a triple overtime defeat vs. Quinnipiac on Feb. 17, 2019.
 
Siena started strong on Senior Night, scoring 10 unanswered midway through the first half and ultimately took as much as a 13-point lead at 33-20 with 6:27 left. But Manhattan, which shot 61% in the first half, stormed back to close the stanza on a 17-4 run to draw even at 37-all at the break.
 
The Jaspers ultimately bridged the halves with a decisive 32-8 run to claim their biggest lead of the evening at 52-41 with 14:35 remaining. The Saints responded with 13 unanswered in a topsy-turvy contest to reclaim a 54-52 advantage on a Michael Eley jumper with 9:21 to go, and it was game on from there.
 
Eley gave Siena its final lead at 65-64 at the 4:05 mark, but Stewart answered on the ensuing possession on what proved to be the game's final made field goal. The Saints had one final look on the last possession, but the potential game-winning three at the buzzer was heavily contested and off the mark.
 
Manhattan shot 51% overall and held a 33-25 rebounding advantage to keep their hopes at a First Round bye in next week's MAAC Tournament alive.
 
Eley finished with 17 points on 7-13 shooting for Siena which shot just a collective 29% (9-31) outside of its two leading scorers. The Saints turned 19 Jaspers turnovers into 26 points.
 
Despite the result, Siena remains in third place in the MAAC Standings with one game remaining, however stand just a game up now on three teams. The Saints, which can still be seeded anywhere from 3-6 in the MAAC Tournament, can clinch the No. 3 seed and a First Round bye with a win in their regular season finale at Saint Peter's Saturday at 2 p.m.