By Joe Budzelek
Despite the fact that Saturday afternoon’s back-and-forth overtime MAAC tilt of Saint Peter’s at Manhattan featured eleven lead changes and thirteen tied scores, the victorious Jaspers tight-walked their way to victory despite the fact that they never led by greater than one point throughout the 45-minute, 84-to-83 nailbiter.
“This win was a microcosm of our growth because we don’t get too emotional when we get down,” said Manhattan head coach John Gallagher following the game, “We have become a great "next play" team. I don’t know if that was always the case earlier this season.”
Scoring twenty or more points in four of the last six games, sophomore guard Devin Dinkins put the game on his shoulders during the second half, tying a career high with 26 points with all but two of the total occurring across the game’s final sixteen minutes, highlighted with a perfect 11-for-11 from the charity stripe in the game’s final thirteen minutes.
“Devin has been so great both on and off the court,” says Gallagher, “His leadership and the example that he sets every day is one that all players are looking to. He’s obviously playing starter’s minutes, but to have a punch like that off the bench is a huge advantage.”
 |
| Manhattan guard Devin Dinkins (#0) lead the charge Saturday afternoon thanks to his career performance (photo credit: Vincent Dusovic) |
Over the season, Dinkins leads the backcourt in scoring, but he is just one of four key cogs that has made Manhattan’s backcourt one of the best in the MAAC and in the Metro NYC area. “I don’t think we have the best backcourt player,” adds Gallagher, “I just think we have the collective best backcourt [in the MAAC].” In addition to Dinkins’ big afternoon, senior guard Shaquil Bender finished the game with seventeen points, including making three of his seven three-point attempts. Jaden Winston and Masiah Gilyard had a quiet afternoon, but collectively, the quartet coughed up only six turnovers – an impressive feat considering Saint Peter’s defense features the third highest turnover caused rate in conference play.
Adding on about the backcourt Gallagher says, “our guards have grown in their stability even though we’re ranked 348th in KenPom in D1 experience. That means we’re one of the youngest teams in the country, but our development has let us build great confidence to lead us through the next six weeks.”
Shining in the frontcourt, freshman forward Will Sydnor has continued his remarkable season, finishing the game with sixteen points on 3-for-7 shooting from three, adding eight rebounds, two steals and a season high six assists. Fellow freshman Marko Ljubicic has played sparingly throughout most of the year, but he finished the game with seven points in fourteen minutes, both season highs. Missing the last ten games due to an injury, Australian import Fraser Roxburgh is also expected to return in seven-to-ten games, providing the Jaspers with a scoring boost in the frontcourt to tandem alongside efficient senior forward Wesley Robinson.
Surging over the last three weeks and a chance to finally get fully healthy, Manhattan is trending up in preparation for their Valentine’s Day date showdown with Merrimack, the current leader atop the MAAC standings.
Comments
Post a Comment