With 7:58 remaining Iona held a convincing 65-48 lead over Manhattan. The Gaels were rolling, but it was all about to unravel. From then on the Jaspers outscored the Gaels 27-7 and delivered the final knockout on Emmy Andujar’s banked in last-second three over Scott Machado. The 75-72 loss dealt a serious blow to Iona’s at-large hopes and made the MAAC title race a little more interesting.

“I think our guys took it way too complacent and they thought the game was over again and it’s a struggle with this team keeping their concentration and their motivation,” said Iona head coach Tim Cluess. “We’re really struggling with it and I have to do a better job of finding a way to motivate them better than I have been because this is happening way too often.”

During the final eight minutes every Manhattan player on the floor scored. Rhamel Brown, once the third-string center for the Jaspers, led the way with nine points, two boards, two blocks and a rebound during the final minutes. Brown’s two blocks on Mike Glover after the Jaspers cut the lead to seven helped Manhattan hold onto the momentum and seal the game.

“At that point in the game it was do or die,” Brown said. “We just played our hardest. We wanted it more than Iona. They’re a great team. They’re really competitive. They never gave up, but in the end the team that wanted it more got the win.”

Brown finished with 17 points, 11 boards and three blocks in 30 minutes.

“He’s a guy that dominates the game without having to score,” said Manhattan head coach Steve Masiello. “I’m so proud of him. He’s a joy to coach.”

Besides his game-winner, Andujar showed his versatility for the Jaspers as well. The freshman forward is often the best player on the floor for Manhattan. As Iona jumped out to a 39-22 first half lead that certainly wasn’t the case. Andujar played only seven minutes in the first half as he struggled with foul trouble. While the stat sheet said he had just one turnover, he also had some defensive miscues and didn’t grab a single board during the first 20 minutes. He grabbed four during the final eight minutes of the game. In another big rivalry game the young freshman was once again able to settle  into a rhythm. Overall he finished with 17 points, six boards and three assists in 25 minutes.

“I got in foul trouble, but I have teammates that help me be confident,” Andujar said. “I knew I was going to get it in the second half and I just kept my head in the game. Even though we were down a lot, with our style of play that we play I know we’re going to comeback and make our run.”

The Iona offense, which had looked unstoppable was stilted in the closing moments. Machado was brilliant for most of the game with 16 assists and just one turnover, but his 3-10 shooting prevented him from taking over the game. The senior point guard missed four shots down the stretch. Part of that seemed to be related to fatigue. While Manhattan forced just 11 Iona turnovers, during most of the second half the Jaspers forced Machado to work hard to cross the timeline with double teams and pressure. As a team the Gaels missed 11 shots down the stretch.

“This isn’t a wake up, this is a disgrace,” Cluess said.

Mike Glover scored his 1,000th point during the game in just his 54th contest with the Gaels, but it came in a bittersweet moment. Glover scored 18 points and grabbed eight boards. He missed just two free throws, but they were two key ones down the stretch. He also was contained by Brown in the final moments.

The loss will force people to concentrate on some of Iona’s flaws instead of its obvious strengths. The Gaels shot just nine free throws in the game and allowed Manhattan to grab 13 offensive rebounds. But what must be more frustrating for Cluess is that his team literally gave the game away. Those eight minutes will stay burned in the record for the rest of the season. They’ll haunt this team moving forward and continue to impact the MAAC until the end of the season.