Jaspers bounce back, earn split over Rider

 

Anthony Nelson exploded for 27 points as Manhattan atoned for season-opening loss Saturday with win over Rider. (Photo by Manhattan College Athletics)

After a lethargic second half Friday resulted in an 18-point loss for Manhattan in its season opener, Steve Masiello hinted at the Jaspers’ conditioning being a factor, noting that while Rider was ready to play, his own team was not.

The second game of the first back-to-back series in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play this season offered a far different outcome.

Looking more engaged on both sides of the basketball Saturday, Manhattan used a pair of 11-point outbursts to establish a lead and then pull away to an 87-77 victory, earning a split against the visiting Broncs in its first two endeavors of the 2020-21 campaign. With the result, Masiello became the winningest head coach in Draddy Gymnasium history by earning his 69th career home triumph, surpassing Bobby Gonzalez, under whom he served as an assistant coach from 2001-2005.

“I’m really proud of the kids and how they responded,” Masiello remarked as the Jaspers (1-1) saw four players post at least 10 points while a fifth, Samba Diallo, tallied nine markers. “Defensively, we still don’t have an identity, but offensively, though, at times last year, I didn’t think we could score 87 in two games. So we did some really did some good things on offense, and now we have to get in a defensive mindset to go with that. But it was a good bounce-back win for the guys, and I’m happy for them. They responded to my challenge, so kudos to them.”

In a first half that could be best described as a tug-of-war, the Jaspers fired the first salvo before Rider (1-3, 1-1 MAAC) got back within earshot on the scoreboard and wrested the lead away on several occasions, only for the hosts to regain control with 11 unanswered points bridging the end of the first half and beginning of the second stanza to assert themselves. The one constant in both stretches was Anthony Nelson, the Seton Hall transfer who followed his 19-point Manhattan debut Friday with a career-best 27 markers from the point guard spot, adding six rebounds and four assists for good measure while Elijah Buchanan chipped in with 20 points and seven boards.

“I haven’t had a guy like him probably ever,” Masiello said of Nelson and the impact he provides after playing under Masiello’s former co-worker, Kevin Willard. “He’s special with the ball in his hands, but he’s got a lot of work to do. He’s got to rebound the ball — he should be a 10-rebound per game guy — he’s got to defend better, I’d like to see him around six, seven assists. He’s got great size, he’s got an uncanny ability to get in the lane and make plays. The bar has been set for him, and that’s why he came here. Now he’s got to deliver on that.”

“I think EB’s on track to have a big year,” he continued, praising Buchanan. “He’s had a great offseason, his mentality’s been great, he’s fun to coach, he’s a basketball junkie. He had a bad last night for whatever reason, but I’m happy for him to get a win and have this success. He did a lot of good things.”

In addition to Manhattan's winning effort Saturday, both Fairfield and Marist rebounded from losses Friday to right the ship the second time around, attributing perhaps to having a game under their respective belts and familiarity with the opposing team. Masiello loaned credence to that belief, citing a similar boost from his own unit.

“I do think with five new guys in the program playing significant minutes, there were some jitters, there were some rotations we didn’t have,” he conceded. “I thought our conditioning was the biggest thing. I thought we were in really bad shape from the quarantine shutdown, so I’m a little disappointed in that aspect of it, but we came out of the weekend with a split and we’ve got to build on it.”

The Jaspers continue their MAAC experience next weekend when Marist comes to Riverdale for a Saturday-Sunday doubleheader. Manhattan had initially been scheduled to face Quinnipiac, but the Bobcats’ recent pause due to a positive COVID-19 test forced the schedule to be altered. Regardless, Masiello feels his team is on an upward trajectory, despite openly admitting the finished product is far from reality at this juncture.

“I think guys like Samba and Ant and Jason (Douglas-Stanley) are getting their feet wet playing our style,” he observed. “Warren Williams needs to stay on the court more. I think he’s got to really establish himself as one of the best bigs in this league, so I want to see him be more dominant. But I like our team, I like our pieces.”

“I don’t think we have an identity yet, I don’t think we know who we are. We have to get that, and that’s got to be on the defensive side of the basketball. We've got to get back to work, get to the drawing board and really handle our business moving forward if we want to be serious about being a contender in this league.”