By Paul Gotham
First reactions to Manhattan’s 79-69 victory over Iona in the 2015 MAAC Championship game.
As the saying goes
As far as sports sayings go – Offense wins games, defense wins championships – falls into the overused category. There is a reason for that: it makes sense. Manhattan proved it again last night as the Jaspers held Iona to their fourth-lowest point total of the season. The Gaels averaged 79.9 points coming into the game. Manhattan limited Iona to 39 percent (23 of 59) from the floor down from their season average of 47 percent. But it started on the offensive end. One key aspect: valuing the ball. After Sunday’s semi-final win over Monmouth, Cluess remarked: “Good defense to us sometimes means getting teams to play at our pace. We do take chances at times. Tonight, we decided to make chances to get the pace of the game going the way we wanted it.” The Gaels converted 16 Monmouth turnovers into 24 points. Monday, Manhattan committed just eight turnovers (Iona opponents average 12 per game). The Gaels collected just two steals against Manhattan down from their season rate of 6.6. Iona scored 11 points off turnovers and zero fast break points. Manhattan’s ball control limited Iona’s easy opportunities.
Discretion the better part of valor
In a 40-minute game, as every coach will say, there are too many plays to point to one. That much understood, with 6:30 left in MOnday’s championship game, Manhattan led 62-60. Iona’s Kelvin Amayo went for a spectacular tomahawk jam. He missed. Manhattan raced to the other end of the floor and scored. Two minutes and twenty-five seconds later, the Jaspers led 71-63. The game effectively was over. Don’t get me wrong. Had Iona won this game, I would have been the first one talking about Amayo’s contributions to the Gaels’ attack. His ability to go off the dribble and create drive and kick opportunities provides a perfect compliment to Iona’s usual long-range game. Didn’t do the rewind on the play. It was early in the shot clock. Maybe he could have looked for something else. Ah, but the lure of the highlight grab. It has such a draw. Here’s the thing. Amayo tried to do this over 6-10 Ashton Pankey. Yep, the result is speaks for itself.
Fool’s gold
Manhattan’s Steve Masiello has a savant-like understanding of the percentages for contested free-throw line jumper and is ready on a moment’s notice (or a reporter’s questioning) to share those numbers and the logic as to why his team will allow that shot in its scheme. “We’ve charted over 600 games,” Masiello said after Manhattan defeated Canisius earlier this year. “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…They made shots, but that shot will not beat you…The percentages are just astronomical. So it’s what we call fool’s gold.” The Jaspers must have flipped the approach slightly against Iona. Against Monmouth the previous night, Iona took and made more shots behind the arc (19 of 35) than inside (13 of 28). Manhattan forced Iona inside as the Gaels went 5 of 22 from long range and 18 of 37 inside. The five three-pointers made represented Iona’s lowest output for the Gaels. Combine that with the decreased turnovers and subsequent fewer easy baskets and Manhattan took the Gaels out of their comfort zone. They turned contested 3s into fool’s gold.
Player of the game
Pankey registered the double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds. More importantly, as evidenced on the Amayo dunk attempt, he provided a pivotal defensive presence.
Stat sheet stuffing
No surprise here, Manhattan’s Emmy Andujar scored 18, pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds, dished out four assists and swiped two steals.
Find Kates under unlikely
Donovan Kates entered play hitting 20.8 percent from behind the arc and averaging 3.1 points per game. The Manhattan senior had just two games this season where he hit more than one three-pointer. He took four threes in a game just once. So it makes perfect sense that Kates went 4 of 6 from long range and tallied 13 points.
Last laugh
Iona won both of the regular season meetings (70-67/79-75). The Gaels had won 13 of 14 (their only loss in that stretch came to Saint Peter’s after clinching the regular season title). The two teams split the season series a year ago before the Jaspers took the MAAC title.
NCAA Tournament
The Jaspers take experience to the Sock Hop this year. Andujar, Pankey, Kates along with Rashawn Stores and Shane Richards have been through the paces. They’ll be a 12 to 14 seed. It would be interesting if they play in the First Four and get a chance to gain momentum before taking on a higher seed.
Leave a Reply