Manhattan University Athletics

Riverdale, N.Y. (January 14, 2007)- Manhattan will look to extends its season-best winning streak to five games as the Jaspers travel to Jersey City, N.J. to take on Saint Peter's College in the Yanitelli Center on the Peacock's campus.  The MAAC contest is slated to begin at 2:00 p.m.

Today's Matchup: The Jaspers conclude the final leg of a stretch that sees the team play nine of 11 games on the road, traveling to Jersey City, N.J. to take on Saint Peter's College on Monday, January 15. The Jaspers have posted a 5-5 record entering the final game of the swing. Manhattan leads the all-time series, 60-43. The Jaspers won both regular season games last season, but the Peacocks won the third meeting in the MAAC Semifinals. Overall, Manhattan has won 12 of the last 15 meetings. Both programs have first year head coaches, as Barry Rohrssen and John Dunne are both in their first seasons, but are not strangers, as each came to the MAAC after several seasons as assistants in the Big East (Pittsburgh and Seton Hall, respectively).

What's Next?: Following today's game, the Jaspers return to the friendly confines of Draddy Gym to take on MAAC foe Rider University on Thursday, January 18, with tip-off slated for 7:00 p.m. Manhattan leads the all-time series, 15-12, and has taken two of the last three meetings. In each of the last three seasons, the home team has won all six meetings. In 2005-06, the Jaspers posted an 87-81 win in Riverdale, but dropped a 75-56 decision in Lawrenceville. This is the first meeting between Barry Rohrssen and Rider head coach Tommy Dempsey.

All-time record: Manhattan is in its 101st season of men's basketball. The Jaspers' overall record is 1197-1030 (.537), while the team has posted a 195-194 (.501) record over 25+ seasons of MAAC play. The men's basketball program was established in 1904-05 and has taken two seasons off (1943-44 and 1944-45) due to World War II. In 55 of the program's 100 seasons, including the last five seasons, the Jaspers have posted a .500 or better record.

Manhattan College Basketball Weekly: Beginning Friday, January 12, Manhattan College Basketball Weekly will air the first of nine episodes, stretching over the 2006-07 men's basketball season. Hosted by Ed Cohen, the show will take an in-depth look at the past and present of Manhattan basketball, and will also highlight other great moments in Jasper athletic history. The show will air every Friday at 4:00 p.m. and will replay at 11:00 a.m. on Saturdays on SportNet New York.

Jaspers Live on the Internet: For the ninth consecutive year, Manhattan College's men's basketball games will be broadcast live via the Internet. In partnership with Stretch Internet, followers of Manhattan basketball can now access the live play-by-play of all Jasper games. A link to the broadcast is available on Manhattan College's website (GoJaspers.com). Ed Cohen and Brian Mahoney will serve as the voices of Jasper basketball. Each broadcast will begin with the "Coach's Pre-Game Report" 15 minutes prior to tip-off.

Even Steven In MAAC Play, And Then Some: Following the Jaspers' MAAC win at Canisius on January 8, Manhattan evened its all-time record in MAAC games at 194-194, marking the first time since the fourth MAAC game of the first MAAC season, 1981-82, that the Jaspers have reached the break even mark in conference play. After the Jaspers downed Iona on January 12, they went above .500 in conference play for the first time in program history.

Winning The Battle Of The Boards: First year head coach Barry Rohrssen has preached the value of hitting the glass hard to his young team, and they have responded, outrebounding their opponents in nine of their first 15 games (60.0%). Over the previous four seasons, the year that the Jaspers outrebounded their opponents the most frequently was in the 2003-04 season, where Manhattan pulled down more rebounds than its opponent 58.1% of the time. In the last five-plus seasons, Manhattan is 45-15 (75.0%) in games it has outrebounded its opponent.

Jolicouer Out For Season: Freshman forward Laurence Jolicouer underwent successful arthroscopic knee surgery on December 20, and will seek a medical hardship waiver to retain all of his athletic eligibility. He will sit out the remainder of the 2006-07 season. The freshman did not appear in a regular season game.

Putting A Lid On The Basket: Coach Rohrssen stresses defense, and the Jaspers have put the clamps on several teams this year, specifically in regards to field goal percentage. In two of the Jaspers' last three games, they have held their opponents under 35% from the field, as Fairfield converted 33.9% (20-59) from the field, and Canisius made 31.9% (15-47) of its shots. Over the course of the season, Manhattan had held its opponent under 35% from the field four times, and is 3-1 in those games.