Iona will be the top seed in the upcoming MAAC tournament, but Emmy Andujar doesn’t feel the Gaels should be considered the favorite after Friday night.
“We let people know we’re still the team to beat,” the Manhattan junior said.
The Bronx product had a reason to gloat after a career-high 28-point performance Friday night in the Jaspers’ thrilling 80-77 overtime victory over the Gaels at a packed Draddy Gymnasium in Riverdale that snapped their rival’s 11-game win streak.
Andujar, an integral and versatile reserve forward, did a lot of the heavy lifting for Manhattan, which lost senior point guard Mike Alvarado to a sprained left ankle in the first half. Alvarado’s left ankle “swelled up” after a hard drive to the basket, Manhattan coach Steve Masiello said, and he was set to undergo X-rays later Friday night. His status moving forward is unknown.
“It says a lot about our team,” senior forward Rhamel Brown said of Manhattan pulling out the victory minus Alvarado . “It’s not the first time we’ve been here. We’ve been in the same situation where we had a man down, key players. … The key is we all believe in each other, regardless of who is out there.”
While Iona (19-9, 16-3 MAAC) already had the conference regular-season crown locked up, the win puts Manhattan (21-7, 14-5) in position to finish as high as second or as low as fourth, depending on Sunday’s home game against Canisius. The Jaspers are currently tied for second with Canisius and Quinnipiac.
Not only did Andujar give Manhattan the lead for good in the extra session with a traditional three-point play, but he blocked Tre Bowman’s potential game-winning shot in the waning seconds of regulation. Andujar was beaten on that play, but caught up quickly.
“As soon as he had that step, in my head I’m like, ‘Nah, he’s not getting this game winner on me after all we’ve been through,’ ” Andujar said.
In support of Andujar, George Beamon shook off an poor-shooting night to add 13 points and 11 rebounds and Brown followed with nine points and nine rebounds.
Bowman scored 23 points for Iona and Sean Armand had 18.
It was another memorable showdown between the two rivals, who met in last year’s MAAC championship game, won by Iona. They feature a bevy of local players who are familiar with each other from high school. The back-and-forth, up-tempo showdown saw 13 lead changes and nine ties.
“Obviously, this rivalry has turned into something special,” Masiello said. “I think it’s one of the best rivalries in college basketball.”
Andujar seems to particularly enjoy the meetings. He plays his best against Iona. He beat the Gaels at the buzzer his freshman year, and in seven career meetings, he’s averaging 14.4 points per game.
“He’s a mismatch,” Iona coach Tim Cluess said. “He loves to get you off balance.”
Iona hopes the loss can serve as a wake-up call entering the conference tournament. The Gaels didn’t attack nearly enough in the first half, failing to get to the free-throw line, and had a series of defensive lapses that ultimately cost them the game.
“We will get focused again,” Iona forward David Laury promised. “Now it’s time to get back in the lab.”