LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Jay Alvarez (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro Area [Houston Christian]) scored a season-high 23 points, including a go-ahead bucket with 13 seconds left, but Jaden Winston's deep three-pointer with 6.8 seconds remaining gave Manhattan an 80-79 victory over the Rider University men's basketball team Sunday afternoon at Alumni Gym. With the loss, the Broncs fall to 4-10 (0-3 MAAC), while the Jaspers are now 7-6 (2-2 MAAC).

After Manhattan connected on a three-pointer to open the scoring, Rider scored the next eight points and didn't trail again in the opening 20 minutes. The lead swelled to as many as 10 points on a Tyriek Weeks (Warwick, RI/Pilgrim [Miami Dade College]) three-pointer at the 6:08 mark. Manhattan cut the lead to four on a Devin Dinkins three at the 2:16 mark, before Flash Burton (Philadelphia, PA/Cardinal O'Hara) scored the next five points to push the Rider advantage back to nine. The Broncs settled for a 44-37 lead at the break after Masiah Gilyard beat the halftime buzzer with a baseline jumper. Alvarez led the Broncs with 13 points in the period.

Rider's lead again reached 10 points, 49-39, on T.J. Weeks Jr.'s (Warwick, RI/Bishop Hendricken Catholic [UMass]) three-pointer at the 18:35 mark. But shortly thereafter, the Jaspers rattled off a 10-3 spurt to pull to within one and took its first lead since 3-0 on Shaquil Bender's lay-up at the 11:19 mark. Manhattan twice pushed the advantage to four, before Rider went on an 11-0 run to retake a seven-point lead. Tank Byard (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City [Alcorn State]) scored six points in the run, including a dunk off a slip off a ball screen with Zion Cruz (Trenton, NJ/Donda [DePaul/Pratt CC]) to cap the run and put Rider up, 73-66, with 4:37 remaining.

Still a seven-point Rider lead after two Andre Young (Mableton, GA/Pebblebrook [Troy/Gulf Coast State Coll.]) free throws at the 3:40 mark, the Jaspers would score the next seven points to tie the game on Wesley Robinson's steal and fast-break putback with 1:17 left. Alvarez gave Rider a lead in the final 1:02 with buckets in the paint. But Dinkins first hit two free throws with 34 seconds left and Winston buried the decisive three with 6.8 seconds remaining. With just five fouls heading into the final Rider possession, the Jaspers used a personal with 2.8 seconds remaining and knocked away the sideline inbounds pass to secure the victory.

Quotes & Notes
"Awful way to lose. Just an awful way to lose, especially when you know the guy who has the ball in his hands is going to be the guy who takes the shot. It just didn't come down to that play. We turned the ball over late. Breakdowns defensive when you need to get stops." – Rider Men's Basketball Head Coach Kevin Baggett

- The Broncs had won five straight overall and the last nine against Manhattan at home.
- The Jaspers' win cut the Rider lead in the all-time series to 39-27.
- The meeting is the only of the season between Rider and Manhattan due to the unbalanced, 20-game MAAC schedule in 2024-25 with the additions of Merrimack and Sacred Heart to create a 13-team conference.     
 
Broncs by the Numbers
- Alvarez scored a season-high 23 points on 9-of-20 shooting, including 2-of-7 from long range, and 3-for-3 from the free-throw line. He added four rebounds.
- Weeks Jr. added 13 points on 3-of-6 from long range and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. He also grabbed six rebounds.
- Cruz scored 11 points and dished out a career-high seven assists. He easily passed his previous single-game high of two assists, accomplished just once (Dec. 4, 2024, at Fairfield) in his first 37 collegiate games at DePaul and Rider.
- Byard scored eight points  and added four rebounds, two steals and a block in 14 minutes off the bench.
- Tariq Ingraham (Philadelphia, PA/Bonner-Prendergast [Wake Forest]) chipped in with seven poinst and a team-high eight rebounds.
- Ruben Rodriguez (Reading, PA/Reading) added three points, five assists, four rebounds and a steal.
- Manhattan outshot the Broncs, 50.0 percent (29-58) to 41.9 percent (26-62) from the floor, including a 43.5 percent (10-23) to 33.3 percent (8-24) advantage from beyond the three-point arc.
- Rider took a 95.0 percent (19-20) to 66.7 percent (12-18) advantage from the free-throw line.
- The Broncs outrebounded Manhattan, 39-29, including a 14-9 advantage on the offensive glass.
- Rider's bench outscored that of the Jaspers, 22-5.
- The Broncs led for 30:39 of game time to the Jaspers' 4:14 with a lead.  

Up Next
The Broncs return to action Friday, when they begin the MAAC's Western New York weekend at Canisius. Tip-off from the Koessler Athletic Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.