DANBURY, Conn. - Sophomore guard/forward
Avery Taitt-Christina (Far Rockaway, N.Y.) scored a team-high 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting and notched three steals as the Western Connecticut State University men's basketball team cruised past non-league foe Manhattanville College, 66-45, in its season opener on Wednesday night at Feldman Arena.
Manhattanville led 6-5 and 10-7 early, but Taitt-Christina's layup at the 15:22 mark put WestConn ahead 10-9, and the Wolves never trailed again. Manhattanville didn't score for nearly five minutes, and the hosts scored 12 straight points, going ahead 19-10 on another Taitt-Christina layup before Manhattanville's John Ranaghan ended the drought with a trifecta. Taitt-Christina poured in 11 points in the first half as the Wolves took a 33-25 lead into the break.
WestConn pulled away in the second half, scoring on its first two possessions and extending the lead to 20. The lead reached its largest at 26 points, 61-35, on a jumper by junior guard/forward B.J. Easley (Harlem, N.Y.) at 7:01. Manhattanville was held to 20 points in the second half and made none of its last seven three-point attempts.
Junior center Marcel Henry (Yonkers, N.Y.) added 10 points and a block, and sophomore guard Jaeden Bull (New Castle, Del.) recorded eight points, including six in the second half. Junior guard Nicholas Moore (Amherst, N.Y.) hit a three and made two free throws for five points, and graduate student guard Jonathan Chery (New York, N.Y.) had a second-half shot from beyond-the-arc. Junior guards Justin Robinson (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) and Makai Coleman (Newtown, Conn.) chipped in with six points apiece.
WestConn's defense forced 22 Manhattanville turnovers. The Valiants shot 12-for-42 (28.6%) and 3-for-18 from three-point range. WestConn shot 43.1%, outscored Manhattanville, 32-12, in the paint and 33-15 on bench points, and earned a 41-33 rebounding edge. Jaiden Gaston led the visitors with 10 points, Isiah Middleton had eight, and Jack Quinn rounded the scoring out with five, all on second-half free throws.
WestConn improves to 1-0 overall, while Manhattanville falls to 0-1. The Wolves will look to continue the strong start when they host non-conference opponent Bates College on Saturday at 3 p.m.
