The stage was set for the Manhattan Men’s Basketball team (14-4, 7-2 MAAC) they had a packed Draddy Gymnasium, ESPNU airing their game against Rider and a returning George Beamon to the team.
George Beamon. Photo by: Stacy Podelski/1495 Sports
With all the pieces in place the Jaspers earned a 67-51 victory over the Broncs, matching the season total victories Manhattan had last season. After a tough loss to Fairfield last Saturday, the guys got back to playing the Manhattan Brand of basketball.
The guys who have now won their last five home games, held Rider to 27.1 percent shooting from the field. Senior forward/center Rhamel Brown (Brooklyn, NY) led the charge defensively blocking five shots, as a whole the team rejected 11 shots-while also stealing the ball nine times in the game.
For Beamon (Rosyln, NY), who returned back to the team after suffering a mild sprained right shoulder, proved why he is one of the best making an impact in the game. The senior led all Manhattan players in scoring with 21 points, while also grabbing nine boards and recording three steals.
The return meant more than that to Head Coach Steve Masiello and the rest of the team. Masiello who after the game described Beamon as the guy that will allow his teammates to become more comfortable, and it showed as the team played all around with a renewed hunger and aggressive style of play.
“There is something about him, there is something about his presence that a switch goes off when he is on the floor with the team,” Masiello said after the victory. “He just has a presence about him that the guys love and it puts the guys at ease.”
Along with Beamon, having impressive nights were Michael Alvarado (Bronx, NY) and Ashton Pankey (Bronx, NY) who both recorded double figures for the Jaspers. Alvardo finished the night with 12 points and a team high seven assists, while Pankey had 11 points to round out all scoring.
Manhattan won’t get much time to celebrate this victory, as they will be back in action this Sunday against a very tough Quinnipiac team. The last time the two teams met Quinnipiac was able to earn a 81-76 victory on January 9. The Jaspers will look to avenge that loss, while also defending their home turf .
The Manhattan/Quinnipiac game game is set to tip-off at 2:00 p.m. Fans are encouraged to check out the official Manhattan Website by clicking the link below for more information on live stats and the live video stream the school will bring for the game:
Fans are encouraged to check out our photo gallery by clicking here:
http://1495sports.com/2014/01/25/photo-gallery-manhattan-mbb-v-rider-12414/
1495 Sports also has the Manhattan College postgame press conference on video seen here:
http://1495sports.com/2014/01/25/video-manhattan-mbb-postgame-press-conference-12414/