(Manhattan, NY) The Nassau Men's Basketball Team competed against the undefeated #2 nationally ranked NJCAA rival Manhattan Community College. The Lions were coming off of 2 consecutive wins and were looking to continue their streak.
Both teams came out with a lot of energy and the hunger to win. Nassau took charge early and held a 6-point lead, 29-23, with 7:25 left in the first half. But it wasn't long before Manhattan hit a hot streak and went on a 12-6 run to tie the score at 35-35 just before halftime.
Cheyenne Nettleton led in team points with 16 at half.
Early in the second half, the Panthers jumped out to an 8-point lead making the score 47-39 with 15:45 to go. As the Lions did everything they could to fight back, MCC increased their lead to 9 points with 12:35 left. The Lions took a timeout and came back to go on a 12-2 run putting them back in front with a 1-point lead, 59-58. Nettleton was on fire, scoring all 12 points for the Lions during that streak. The two teams passed the lead back and forth as they competed neck and neck. With 4:08 remaining, Nettleton sunk a 3 pointer to put Nassau within 1 point of the Panthers. Only 1 minute remained on the clock as Moncrieffe went to the line to shoot free throws. He nailed both, giving NCC a 2 point lead, 78-76. Nettleton sealed the victory with two more free throws, giving NCC a 4-point lead with 9.1 left. Manhattan managed to score one more basket in the remaining 9 seconds, making the final score 80-78 and a win for the Lions.
Outstanding players of the game were
Cheyenne Nettleton, who tallied 40 points and 4 assists, while teammate
Stephen Moncrieffe had 16 points and 5 rebounds.
Darius Young scored 11 points and contributed 5 rebounds for the Lions.
Head Coach AJ Wynder commented after the game, "The key tonight was that we played hard and played as a team. We competed for the full 40 minutes without letting up once. This was a big win for our team."
The Men's Basketball team is currently 13-5 overall and 8-1 in Region XV. Catch them next at the CCRI Invitational held this weekend in Warwick, Rhode Island.
