Springfield, MA (Sports Network) - Emmy Andujar finished with 16 points, five
rebounds and three steals as the sixth-seeded Manhattan Jaspers coasted to a
60-42 victory over the seventh-seeded Fairfield Stags in the semifinals of the
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament at the MassMutual Center.
Michael Alvarado netted 13 points for Manhattan (14-17), which will take on
the fourth-seeded Iona Gaels in the championship game on Monday night.
Maurice Barrow paced Fairfield (19-15) with 15 points while Coleman Johnson
netted 10 points off the bench. Derek Needham, who averaged 21.5 points per
game in the first two rounds of the tournament, was held to just four points
on 2-of-10 efficiency from the field.
The Stags scored the first six points of the contest before jumping out to a
16-5 lead, but their momentum stopped there. Manhattan chipped away at the
deficit before Donovan Kates drained a 3-pointer with 50 seconds left in the
period to give it a 23-22 halftime lead. The Jaspers had missed their first
seven triples before Kates's go-ahead make and Fairfield went 0-of-6 from
behind the 3-point line in the opening 20 minutes.
The Jaspers ran away with it in the second half as they went 7-of-13 from the
field and 22-of-27 at the charity stripe. Fairfield drained only six of its 21
field goal tries in the final 20 minutes.
The Stags went 0-of-9 from beyond the arc in the contest.
GAME NOTES:
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