Juan’ya Green has earned himself a new nickname.
The Niagara sophomore guard decided enough was enough yesterday, and flipped a switch in the closing minutes as the Purple Eagles ended Manhattan’s four-game winning streak with a 60-56 triumph over the Jaspers at Draddy Gymnasium.
“Our radio guy said we should change his name from Juan’ya to Win’ya,” Niagara coach Joe Mihalich said. “All this guy does is make us win. Whether it’s a big play, big shot, he makes us win.”
Manhattan (10-16, 8-8 MAAC) contained Green for the majority of the game, but Green stepped up during the game’s most crucial moments as he scored Niagara’s final seven points and 11 of its final 15 to seal the win.
“I just took charge,” Green said. “I put the team on my back. I just wanted to make plays for everybody else.”
The Jaspers, who were coming off of an impressive double-overtime win against Iona on Friday night, simply did not have it yesterday.
Still, Manhattan was able to hold the Purple Eagles (16-11, 12-4) to just under 26 percent shooting in the first half and only trailed by one point heading into the locker room.
“I warned our guys about a letdown coming off an Iona win,” Manhattan coach Steve Masiello said. “I don’t think we came out ready to play and that’s my fault, I’ll take that, I didn’t have them ready to play from an emotional standpoint like they were for some other games.”
With leading scorer Antoine Mason sidelined with an ankle injury for the fourth straight game, the Purple Eagles received a scoring boost from Marvin Jordan, who finished with four 3-pointers and 16 points.
Niagara also played fierce defense against the Jaspers and forced Manhattan into committing 22 miscues. The Purple Eagles outscored the Jaspers 16-3 off of turnovers.
“They were playing good defense but we were sloppy with the ball, not strong with the ball,” Jaspers guard Donovan Kates said. “They ripped the ball out of our hands a couple of times. It’s just not acceptable.”
In addition to forcing nearly two dozen turnovers, Niagara did a good job of containing Manhattan junior forward Rhamel Brown, who was limited to 12 points and eight rebounds just two days after finishing with 21 points and 17 boards against Iona.
“One of the keys is to try and get [Brown] under control,” Mihalich said. “He was a giant, pun intended, against Iona. I think we might have just gotten lucky a little bit.”