Sunday, February 26, 2023

Bronx Insider: Sports Desk: Manhattan Men's Basketball Uses Last Second Shot to Beat Quinnipiac.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nelson's Floater Completes Manhattan's Comeback at Quinnipiac.


HAMDEN, Conn. – Ant Nelson hit the game-winning floater to complete Manhattan’s comeback against Quinnipiac and pick up a 72-70 win on Sunday.

Nelson’s final two came from the right side of the lane as the clock expired to give the Jaspers the win. The bucket capped a 21-point afternoon for the guard, with 17 points coming in the second half.

“My teammates gave me a lot of confidence in the huddle,” said Nelson. “I am super excited for Razi. That was a big wake-up game for him. I was picking my spots on offense, and I wanted to get my teammates involved after struggling on Friday.”

Nelson scored the final six points for Manhattan over the final 2:04 of regulation.

Manhattan (11-16, 9-9 MAAC) trailed by as many as 21 in the first half and 17 in the second half.

“You saw a group of guys that believe in each together today,” said interim head coach RaShawn Stores afterward. “Logan and Razi stepping up today, that is part of the next-man-up mindset I have been saying all year. We had been in the spot before, earlier this season, and our guys rose to the occasion.”

Quinnipiac (19-10, 10-8) led 57-42 with 15:25 remaining in the game. Manhattan scored the next 13 points to pull within three. The Jaspers went 6-7 from the field during the run. Josh Roberts and Nelson combined for 11 of the 13 points.

Raziel Hayun came off the bench to supply three crucial 3-pointers in the second half. Hayun’s third 3-pointer gave Manhattan its first lead at 64-63 with 3:47 to play in regulation. Hayun was one for his last 12 from 3-point range entering Sunday.

Logan Padgett hit two free throws after Hayun’s triple to make it 66-63 Manhattan with 3:08 to play. Quinnipiac responded with seven of the next nine points to retake the lead with 1:25 to play, 70-68. Ike Nweke gave Quinnipiac the lead in what were the final two points for Quinnipiac.

Nelson tied the game on the next possession with a layup. After a defensive stop by the Jaspers, Nelson crossed over, went left, then came back right to get the floater up over Paul Otieno to win the game.

Offensively, the Jaspers shot 66-percent from the floor in the second half and 50-percent from deep. On the other end of the floor, the Jaspers’ defense held the Bobcats to 22-percent from 3-point range after allowing 43-percent in the opening 20 minutes.

Nelson added eight rebounds and five assists to his game-high 21 points. Roberts added 13 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks. Padgett finished with 11 points to record his second game in double figures this season.

The Jaspers return to action on Thursday at Siena before closing the regular season on Saturday against Mount St. Mary’s inside Draddy Gymnasium.

For the latest on the Manhattan College men's basketball program, follow the Jaspers on Twitter @JaspersMBB and Instagram @Jaspers.MBB.

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