Box Score SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Manhattan defeated Saint Peter's 72-58 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals on Saturday.
Marvin Dominique (Miramar, Fla./Miramar [Fordham]) paced the Peacocks (14-17) with 14 points and eight rebounds. Chris Burke (Willingboro, N.J./Willingboro) added 12 points in his final game and Desi Washington (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin [Delaware State]) chipped in 10 points in the loss.
"We need to keep our heads up and be proud of how we responded the final third of the season," said head coach John Dunne.
Rhamel Brown tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Jaspers (23-7) and Michael Alavarado added 17 points in the winning effort.
The game was a closely contested contest for the first 26 minutes of the game before Manhattan went on a run and never looked back to advance to its second-straight tournament semifinals and end Saint Peter's five-game winning streak.
After Dominique tied the game with a layup at 15:08, Alvarado gave the Jaspers the lead for good on two free throws with 14:44 on the clock. George Beamon added a free throw at 14:15 before Washington scored in the lane with 13:21 left to trim the margin to 44-43.
Manhattan then scored the six of the next seven points to take a 50-44 lead with 10:31 left. Brown had three points in the stretch. After a Washington jumper, the Jaspers then pulled away thanks to a 22-11 run and the Peacocks could get no closer the rest of the way.
In the first half with the game time at 12, Manhattan went on a 10-3 run to grab a 22-15 lead thanks to three points apiece from Brown and Beamon.
With the Jaspers holding a 24-17 edge, Saint Peter's used a 12-4 run to grab a 29-28 lead with 1:16 left in the frame. Washington and Quadir Welton (Philadelphia, Pa./Math, Science, Civics Charter) each had four points in the span.
The two teams then traded the lead with Washington hitting two free throws with nine seconds left before Alavarado made two at the line to give Manhattan a 32-31 lead going into the locker room.
In the second half, the Peacocks opened up a 39-34 lead after scoring seven-straight points to erase a three-point deficit. Burke nailed a 3-pointer with 18:10 left before Welton scored in the lane at 17:49 and Dominique converted a traditional 3-point play at 17:13 for a five-point lead.
The Jaspers answered with a 7-0 run of their own to retake the lead at 41-39 with 15:31 left thanks to points from three different players. Saint Peter's would tie the game for two more times, but Manhattan would then take the lead for good and go on for the win.
Each team finished with 20 made field goals and three baskets from behind the arc, but the Jaspers made 29 of 42 from the free throw line compared to 15-for-20 for the Peacocks.
Saint Peter's won seven of its last 10 games to end the season to notch its best season since 2010-11. The squad was also playing in its first MAAC Quarterfinal matchup since the 2010-11 season and falls to 14-9 in the round.
Burke ends his career with 604 points, 393 rebounds, 124 assists, 92 steals and 87 blocks. The squad will return the rest of its team, including its top three scorers in Dominique, Washington and Trevis Wyche (Neptune, N.J./Saint Peter's Prep).
