March 18, 2006

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - Jeff Xavier scored a career-high 31 points, Jason Wingate added 21, and Manhattan bounced Maryland from the NIT with an 87-84 victory Saturday.

The Jaspers (20-10) led by 14 with 13 minutes left, then had four players foul out. But Manhattan overcame that - and some shoddy free throw shooting - to end Maryland's 29-game non-conference home winning streak.

Wingate missed the front end of three straight one-and-one opportunities down the stretch before seldom-used sophomore Franck Traore sank two free throws with 32 seconds left to make it 84-79.

Manhattan, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular-season champions, will next face Old Dominion on Monday night. The Jaspers opened the NIT with an 80-77 win over Fairleigh Dickinson.

Xavier scored 18 first-half points to stake the Jaspers to a 47-37 lead.

Travis Garrison scored 21 points in his final game with Maryland and senior Nik Caner-Medley added 16 on 6-for-16 shooting. Maryland had 20 turnovers and was 3-for-13 from 3-point range.

Xavier went 12-for-24 from the field, made four 3-pointers and sank all three of his foul shots in topping his previous career high of 25 points.

The Terrapins opened the second half with a 6-0 run to close to 47-43 before Xavier scored eight points in a 14-4 surge that made it 61-47.

It was 75-65 before a 3-pointer by Mike Jones and a layup by Caner-Medley got the Terrapins within five points with 5:42 to go. Xavier followed with a three-point play to ignite a 7-0 run that gave the Jaspers enough breathing room to weather Maryland's last comeback bid.

The Terrapins missed their first four shots, then built a 12-8 lead before Wingate scored seven points in a 17-3 spurt that put Manhattan up by 10.

With 9 minutes gone, Maryland had seven turnovers and six baskets.

Manhattan led 32-30 before Caner-Medley received a foul and a technical foul - his third personal - on top of it. Wingate made the two technical free throws, and Xavier added two foul shots to end a 9-0 run.