First thoughts after Manhattan’s 63-60 victory at Canisius.
Shane’s world
Manhattan led for 26- plus minutes. The visiting Jaspers pushed their lead to as many as 10. Seven straight Canisius points over two minutes midway through the second half changed that. Zach Lewis converted one of two free to give the Golden Griffins their first lead of the game at 44-43. Then Shane Richards happened. The Manhattan junior drilled a trio of treys to give Manhattan a 52-46 advantage – a lead they never surrendered. Richards finished with a game-high 18 to go with 10 rebounds. He hit 6 of 10 from the floor including 5 of 9 behind the arc and 1 of 2 free throws. Manhattan coach Steve Masiello on Richards. “I’ve asked Shane to take over for three years now. He’s that good. He’s unselfish…It’s his time. I don’t know what the darkest shade of green is, but he’s got it. Whatever the darkest shade of green is, he’s got the green light in this program. I’m not just talking about offense. I’m talking about decisions. He wants to not do doubles? He comes and talks to me. We won’t do doubles. He wants to charter a plane? We’ll charter a plane. It’s Shane’s world.”
Drip…drip…drip
Manhattan entered play fifth in the nation forcing 18 turnovers a game. Goes without saying that if Jim Baron was told before Sunday’s contest that if his team would only commit single digit miscues, he would have liked his chances. Despite Manhattan’s pressure defense and multiple looks (2-2-1 three-quarter court press that becomes a 2-1-2 and 1-3-1 half court defense which becomes a 2-3 and matches up out of that), the Griffs still managed to have an assist to turnover ratio better than 2:1. Canisius handed out 17 assists on 22 made field goals while committing just seven turnovers. Ironically, the Griffs still lost. Baron on Manhattan’s defense: “They try to spook you. We got spooked.”
So much for balance
Canisius outscored Manhattan in the paint (24-18), off turnovers (17-10), on second-chance points (8-5), on the fast break (7-2) and in bench points (31-19). The Griffs also got the better of it at the free throw line 13-12. BUT the difference came at the 3-point line where the Griffs came in hitting more than seven a game. Sunday, Canisius connected on 3 of 21. Shane and the Jaspers hit 9 of 21.
Head scratching
The game’s final minute unfolded with some confusion. Manhattan’s Ashton Pankey grabbed a loose ball and was fouled by Lewis. Officials went to the monitor. Pankey was issued a flagrant-1 for elbowing on the play. After the delay, Pankey went to the line to shoot what was supposed to be a one-and-one. That was ALMOST forgotten. Until the official scorekeeper intervened. With the score 63-60, Canisius had two free throws and the ball and came away with nothing.
Playing shorthanded
Manhattan played without leading scorer Emmy Andujar who was assessed a flagrant-2 in Friday’s loss at Niagara.
Parting the Waterman
Manhattan’s Zane Waterman came off the bench and scored eight points including six in the first half. The freshman forward finished a hammer dunk to give the Jaspers a 26-18 lead. Later, he drove baseline and used a reverse layup for a 34-27 Manhattan advantage.
Along came Crump
He’s not going to win any style points, the Griffs’ Jermaine Crumpton just does work. The redshirt freshman came off the bench and notched a career-high 16 points. Crumpton hit 7 of 11 from the floor including 2 of 4 from long range.
Fool’s gold
With Manhattan’s half-court defense extended throughout the game, the Griffs found a gap at the free throw line. It was exactly what Masiello and the Jaspers wanted. “We’ve charted over 600 games. The 15-foot shot challenged late is a 26 percent shot. It appears at times when teams make two or three in a row you actually think they’re hurting your zone. It actually plays into your hands. It’s one of the reasons they shot 39 percent for the game. We take it away. We take the high post away with the opposite guard. It goes in, we fan out and go man and matchup. Most of the time, you’ll see a four, five in that spot. Give Canisius credit. They made shots, but that shot will not beat you…The percentages are just astronomical. So it’s what we call fool’s gold.”
Look to the future
Canisius (7-6/2-2) travels to Marist (1-13/0-4), Thursday. Manhattan (5-8/2-2) hosts St. Peter’s (8-7/2-2) on Wednesday.
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