Riverdale, N.Y. (February 28, 2007)- The Manhattan men's basketball team will play its Quarterfinal Game in the MAAC Men's Basketball Championships on Saturday, March 2, beginning at 2:00 p.m. The fifth-seeded Jaspers will battle the fourth-seeded Siena College Saints. This will be the fifth MAAC Tournament meeting between the two programs, with each team having won twice.
MAAC Tournament:
The Jaspers earned the #5 seed in the MAAC Tournament with a win over Iona on the final day of the regular seaon. Manhattan will play #4 Siena in a Quarterfinal matchup on Saturday, March 2 at 2:00 p.m. Siena swept the season series with Manhattan, taking a 80-69 win at Draddy Gym on January 21 , and an 78-61 decision at the Times Union Center on February 22. This is the fourth time that Manhattan has been the #5 seed at the MAAC Tournament, with the Jaspers posting an 0-3 record in those games (1981-82, 1990-91, 1996-97). The Jaspers are 16-22 all time in MAAC Tournament games. The Jaspers are 2-2 vs. the Saints in the MAAC Tournament.
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.
All-time record:
Manhattan is in its 101st season of men's basketball. The Jaspers' overall record is 1203-1038 (.537), while the team has posted a 201-202 (.499) 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 101 seasons, including the four of the last five seasons, the Jaspers have posted a .500 or better record. Manhattan's 200 MAAC wins makes them just the second MAAC team to reach 200 wins in conference, joining Iona.
Tough To Beat:
Over the past five-plus seasons, Manhattan has a record of 116-62 for a .652 winning percentage.
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.
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 16 of their 29 games. 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 50-21 (70.4%) in games it has outrebounded its opponent.
Jaspers Dickensian When It Comes To Stealing:
Like the young thiefs of Oliver Twist and the Artful Dodger, its the youngest Jaspers that are producing most of the steals for Manhattan.
Patrick Bouli paces the team with 51, and
Darryl Crawford is next with 34, followed by
Antoine Pearson with 27 and
Jamel Ferguson 25.
Devon Austin (22),
Arturo Dubois (30), and
Guy Ngarndi (23) pace the veterans.
