QU Men's Basketball's Second-Half Rally Comes Up Just Short To Manhattan

Sunday, February 21

Hamden, CT

2:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

9-18, 6-12MAAC

Manhattan College

12-14, 9-8MAAC

Manhattan

Quinnipiac

QU Men's Basketball's Second-Half Rally Comes Up Just Short To Manhattan

2/21/2016 4:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: QU Sports Information

HAMDEN, Conn. - The Quinnipiac men's basketball team rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit to have the ball down by one point in the final minute, but Manhattan was able to hold on down the stretch and take a 63-59 win on Sunday afternoon at the TD Bank Center in Quinnipiac's home finale.

The loss spoiled Senior Day for Quinnipiac's three seniors, center Will Simonton (Vienna, Va.), guard Giovanni McLean (Bronx, N.Y.) and guard James Ford, Jr. (Hopewell, Va.), who were honored prior to the game (pictured sitting left to right). McLean finished with 15 points, 13 in the second half, to tie for team high honors with sophomore forward Chaise Daniels (Meriden, Conn.), while Shane Richards led Manhattan with 21 points. Quinnipiac falls to 9-18 overall and 6-12 in the MAAC with the loss, while Manhattan improves to 12-14 overall and 9-8 in league play.

Sophomore guard Dimitri Floras (Nashua, N.H.) hit a tough bank shot in the paint with 1:08 to play to get the Bobcats all the way back within one point at 57-56. After Quinnipiac drew an offensive foul to get the ball back, a loose ball caromed out to Floras, who got a good look from three, but had his shot spin around the rim and pop out with 18 seconds left.

After Rich Williams had two foul shots for Manhattan to push the lead to three, Quinnipiac tried to get a quick two to cut it back to one, but turned the ball over in the paint and RaShawn Stores clinched the win with two foul shots to make it 61-56 with seven seconds left. McLean hit a three with one second left, and Stores added two more foul shots to cap off the scoring.

Manhattan led 31-23 at the break, and got the lead up to 13 points on two occasions around the 15-minute mark, but Quinnipiac rallied by shooting 14-25 in the second half (56.0 percent). McLean fueled the rally with back-to-back three-pointers to two straight possessions to close a 46-35 deficit down to 46-41, but Thomas Capuano banked in a three to stop the momentum for the time being with 11:33 left.

Three Richards foul shots got the lead back up to 11 for the Jaspers at 52-41 with 9:39 left, but Daniels answered with two baskets in close and Floras hit two foul shots to close within 52-47 with 7:27 to go. A Capuano jumper gave Manhattan a six-point lead with 2:39 to go, but Daniels had a three-point play with 1:55 left and Floras hit his jumper to cut it to one, but that was as close as the Bobcats would come.

Quinnipiac won the battle of the boards 34-26 and did not allow an offensive rebound until just 5:17 left in the game, when Calvin Crawford caught an airball under the rim. The Bobcats have now won the rebounding battle 110 times since the start of the 2012-13 season and lost only six (with four ties). Williams had 14 points for the Jaspers, joining Richards in double figures.

The Bobcats will close out the regular season this week with a pair of road games, facing Marist on Friday at 7 p.m. and Siena on Sunday at 2 p.m. Quinnipiac will then head back to Albany to the MAAC Tournament, where it will open play on Thursday, March 3 against an opponent to be determined.