Jaspers outdueled by Rider in season opener

When addressing earlier in the week how his Manhattan team would perform in its season opener Friday, Steve Masiello admitted he was unsure, as the Jaspers still had major question marks about them after not being afforded a non-conference game to work out whatever kinks remained.

Playing its first game of the season Friday after a COVID-19 pause in November derailed non-league plans, Manhattan fought back from a slow start, but was ultimately defeated by Rider, falling to the Broncs by a final score of 82-64 at Draddy Gymnasium.

“Give credit to Kevin and Rider,” Masiello said on a night where the Jaspers trailed by five points at halftime before the Broncs shot 17-for-28 from the floor after the intermission to seal their first win of the year just three days after nearly upsetting St. John’s. “They came in and you could tell they were ready to play and we weren’t. No excuses about that.”

Manhattan rebounded from a beginning sequence in which it spotted Rider the first nine points of the game, picking up steam as the first stanza played out and even wresting short leads away from the Broncs, but the visitors seized control with a 23-5 run bridging the end of the first half with the opening of the second to take a double-digit lead that the host Jaspers were ultimately unable to close into.

“I didn’t like much from us, but the good news is you have them back in 24 hours,” Masiello quickly pointed out, citing the back-to-back Metro Atlantic Athletic contests this year in an attempt to mitigate travel concerns in light of COVID-19. “I think it was a combination of obviously not being in shape and not being ready to play, not necessarily from a mentality of a scrimmage or exhibition, but that’s just the world we’re in today. Other teams are doing it, having to go play under those same conditions. We have to be better.”

In his Manhattan debut, Anthony Nelson led the Jaspers with 19 points in his first game action since transferring from Seton Hall last March. Fellow newcomer Jason Douglas-Stanley added 14 off the bench. Rider was led by Dwight Murray, who posted 20 points and 15 rebounds, but fell three assists short of a triple-double.

Manhattan and Rider meet again Saturday in the second of two games between the two schools, with tipoff set for 6 p.m.