Rider repels Manhattan to raise winning streak to 7
LAWRENCEVILLE » Up until the final minute, Stevie Jordan was not having his best night. He was in foul trouble, made just one of his four shots and turned the ball over five times.
Yet when he’s on the court, throw out the stats, because Rider may very well be the best team in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
Jordan connected on a tough floater to break a tie game with 38.5 seconds left and then made a pair of clutch free throws to help the Broncs put away Manhattan, 77-73, on Thursday night at Alumni Gymnasium and win their seventh straight game.
“I just want to step up and make big plays for my team,” said Jordan, who finished with nine points. “Any big play — a pass, a shot.”
Rider (18-7, 11-2) maintained its spot atop the league standings, while stretching its win streak to the program’s longest since a 10-game run during the 2007-08 season.
Perhaps becoming known as a heart attack on the hardwood, the Broncs should be accustomed to these type of games by now. They’ve won six of the seven games by seven points or less during this streak.
“We’ve got a group of guys when the game is on the line, we step up,” Jordan said. “Some of them we should have won by more, but we’re winning games.”
Dimencio Vaughn scored 17 of his game-high 23 points in the second half and Jordan Allen finished with 20 for Rider.
Vaughn made a huge play when he rebounded his own missed free throw and turned it into a three-point play to give the Broncs a 70-66 lead with 2:36 remaining.
Rider seemed to dodge bullet after bullet until Zane Waterman (16 points) scored with 59 seconds remaining to tie the game at 71-all.
That’s when Jordan drove the left baseline and tossed up a shot over Waterman to put his team back on top. After a video review determined the Jaspers would keep the ball with 18 seconds to go, Jordan stole the inbound pass and sunk two free throws.
Allen iced the game with a pair of free throws immediately after Zavier Turner pulled Manhattan (11-14, 6-7) back to within two.
“A good team finds a way to win when you have a bunch of guys struggling,” coach Kevin Baggett said. “We have a number of guys, that’s why we’re a good team. They can contribute and normally we’re used to Stevie doing it, and in the end he hit a big layup and the free throws.”
That, however, is what the sixth-year coach has come to expect from his sophomore point guard.
“He’s a winner,” Baggett said. “He makes plays when we need him. He’s done it since he’s been here. He knows he’s the heart and soul.”
Frederick Scott collected his team leading sixth double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
The Broncs trailed, 37-30, at halftime as they contributed 12 of their season-high 21 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes and allowed the Jaspers to shoot 50 percent (7-for-14) from beyond the arc.
Rider tightened up in the second half and charged in front thanks to eight quick fast break points. It also helped that Manhattan cooled off from deep by hitting just two of its eight attempts.
The Broncs also assured themselves of no worse than fourth place in the MAAC. They still leads Canisius by a half game with the Griffs scheduled to visit Alumni Gym on Feb. 18.