There may be no reason for the Manhattan Jaspers to ever go back to The Bronx.
Entering Saturday with the nation’s best road record (6-0), Manhattan continued its magical season away from home, opening the Brooklyn Holiday Hoops Invitational at Barclays Center with an 84-81 overtime win over coach Bobby Hurley and Buffalo.
Off to their best start in 12 seasons, Manhattan (9-2) has won six straight games, including eight away from Draddy Gymnaiusm.
“This team, there’s just something about them,” Manhattan coach Steve Masiello said. “Even times when I’m like, ‘We’re in trouble here,’ they find a way to win. I think that says something. I think that leads to something, hopefully.”
The game looked like it was over, with Manhattan trailing by seven with less than 40 seconds left. But an improbable rally set up sharpshooter Shane Richards’ drawing of a foul on a 3-point attempt with 5.4 seconds left, trailing 77-74.
Buffalo (4-4) called a timeout after Richards made the first free throw, but the sophomore still sank the next two to tie the game at 77. Shannon Evans (20 points) got a good look in the lane, but his shot fell short as time expired.
After a game-tying 3-pointer by Joshua Freelove with 54 seconds left, Brooklyn native Rich Williams scored off a turnover with 17 seconds left to give Manhattan the lead again, before center Rhamel Brown blocked back-to-back drives in the final 15 seconds. Freelove then missed a tying 3-point attempt at the overtime buzzer.
“Rhamel Brown might not be the best scorer, but he’s by far our most valuable player because he changes the game,” Masiello said. “He’ so underrated. I’ve been saying it, I’m going to continue to say it.”
The Jaspers — who were led by George Beamon, who scored 22 points — had a miserable shooting night. They hit just 34.3 percent from the field but recorded a season-high 16 steals and trailed 41-39 at halftime.
Manhattan’s magic nearly ended after a major mistake. Less than five minutes had been played, when a minor physical altercation broke out between the two teams, and though the incident lasted seconds, the effects were felt for another 40 minutes.
During the short scuffle, which took place right in front of Manhattan’s bench, Michael Alvarado and Donovan Kates left the bench and were ejected from the game. Alvarado, the versatile senior guard, is Manhattan’s second-leading scorer and leader in assists.
The team soon trailed by nine and the game looked like it could be slipping away. But the undermanned Jaspers fought back, like Masiello has seen so many times.
“I reminded them, last year we basically went to a MAAC championship [game] with eight guys,” Masiello said. “It almost cost us the basketball game, but I couldn’t be more proud of our team.I think it’s one of the greatest wins we’ve had since I’ve been here from a mental toughness standpoint.”
There was little drama in the second game, as Temple annihilated LIU Brooklyn, 101-65. Five Owls (5-5) scored in double-figures, with Will Cummings and Dalton Pepper combining for 49 points, while the Blackbirds (4-7) saw a two-game winning streak end, despite E.J. Reed’s 13 pointsand 12 rebounds.
Michigan closed out the triple-header in front of a Wolverine-dominated crowd of 11,000-plus, handing Stanford a 68-65 loss.
The Cardinal (8-3), coming off an upset win at UConn, couldn’t take advantage of a thin Michigan (7-4) frontcourt playing without Mitch McGary, but cut a 10-point deficit to one with 9 seconds left. Nik Stauskas, who scored a game-high 19 points, then hit two free throws, before Stanford shot an airball on a game-tying attempt in the final seconds.