UConn, Fordham blast Manhattan men's hoopsters

There was no Thanksgiving hangover for Manhattan’s opponent in the first game back after the holiday. No. 5-ranked University of Connecticut made easy work of the Jaspers in a 90-60 win on Black Friday in Hartford.

Over six minutes in, the Jaspers led 11-10 following a made free throw from freshman Seydou Traore. UConn immediately answered with an 8-0 run, which included two threes from graduate transfer Cam Spencer, and then grew it to a 21-4 run to take command of the game for good.

Manhattan went into halftime trailing 49-32.

UConn came out of the gate with a 10–0 run to start the second half and cruised the rest of the way.

Manhattan had no answers for the Huskies’ top guns, as Spencer scored 18 points, and Tristen Newton compiled a triple-double performance of 15 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds to become the first player in UConn history to notch three career triple doubles.

Manhattan was overmatched in their second game this season against a top-five team in the country. Two weeks earlier, the Jaspers lost to Kansas, ranked second at the time, at Allen Fieldhouse by a 38-point margin.

“I think UConn is better than Kansas by a few baskets,” coach John Gallagher said when asked about it.

Manhattan was led by 13 points and eight rebounds from Traore. The freshman recorded double-digit point totals in each of the first five games of his college career.

“The guy on my right I think is the best freshman in the MAAC,” Gallagher said of Traore.

Manhattan will look for even more magic from Traore, who is averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds per game, after starting point guard Brett Rumpel was injured. The moment came early in the second half on a drive to the hoop. Rumpel stumbled and went down immediately, prompting the UConn medical team to come out to stabilize him.

A few hours before tip-off against Fordham on Monday night the program confirmed Rumpel tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the season.

“We’re going to have to be different but that doesn’t mean we can’t win,” Gallagher said of losing the defensive abilities of Rumpel.

The Jaspers’ return to action without Rumpel did not go according to plan. Led by four seniors, Fordham was too much to handle and protected their home court with a resounding 93-61 win.

Manhattan did not back down early, with both teams level at 20 after nearly nine minutes played.

The tide turned in Fordham’s favor when Traore was sent to the bench with his second foul at the 8:32 mark of the first half.

“I think when you play against a team like Fordham when they have four seniors out there and we have four freshmen that’s sorta what you get,” Gallagher said.