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Bronx, NY - Manhattan (3-3) will play Fordham (5-2) in the 112th 'Battle of the Bronx' at Rose Hill Gymnasium on Saturday, December 7 with opening tip tabbed for 2:00 pm.
Roadtrippin
* Saturday's game is the fifth and final game of a five-game road trip.
Battle Of The Bronx Notes
* The Jaspers hold a 57-54 advantage against the Rams in the all-time series and will be looking for their first victory in the series since posting a 60-53 win on December 10, 2016.
* Last year, Manhattan dropped a one-point heart-breaker to Fordham, despite 15 points from senior
Pauly Paulicap.
* Head Coach
Steve Masiello is 4-4, all-time, against the Rams, and a perfect 4-0 as an assistant.
* Saturday's game comes on the eight-year anniversary of Manhattan's 81-47 win over Fordham in Draddy Gymnasium, which also doubled as Masiello's first head coaching victory over the Rams.
Under Pressure
* The Jaspers have forced more turnovers than the opposition in all six games, and are first in the MAAC in turnovers forced (17.5-32nd NCAA) and steals (8.8-49th NCAA).
* In Masiello's nine years at the helm, Manhattan is 51-9 (.850) when limiting the opposition to less than 60 points, 44-14 (.759) when notching double-figures in steals and 27-14 (.659) when forcing at least 20 turnovers.
* In the season-opening win over Delaware State, Manhattan forced 25 turnovers (3x last- Siena (1/13/18)) and 16 steals (Buffalo (12/21/13)), matching the most by a Masiello-coached team.
Block Party
* Senior
Pauly Paulicap became the fifth member of the Jaspers' 100-block club with the first of his two rejections at Stony Brook.
* Paulicap swatted a season-high four blocks at URI in registering his 12th career four-block game.
* The Harcum College product has now rejected at least two blocks in five-straight games and is averaging 2.0 bpg to go along with 7.7 ppg and 5.3 rpg.
* He is 28 rejections behind
Jamal Marshall (129) for fourth place in the all-time annals.
#GoGreene
* Sophomore
Tykei Greene has paced the team in scoring thrice and on the glass five times, en route to averaging a team-best 11.8 ppg (18th MAAC) and 7.2 rpg (5th MAAC).
* This year he has more than doubled his scoring (+6.1 ppg) and rebounding (+3.9 rpg) numbers.
* Greene led the way at Samford with 13 points and eight rebounds after going for a career-high 17 and nine rebounds in the win over UAlbany.
* He started the year with 15 points and five rebounds in the victory over Delaware State.
Sophomores Stand Up
* Over the first six games, the sophomore fivesome of
Elijah Buchanan, Greene,
Christian Hinckson,
Samir Stewart and
Warren Williams have combined to account for 64.4 percent of the offense (40.7 ppg) and 53.9 percent of the rebounding (18.3 rpg).???????
* Stewart ranks second in the MAAC in steals (2.3 spg) and assist/turnover ratio (2.5), while also checking in seventh in assists (3.3 apg) and 27th in scoring (9.3 ppg).
* He scored 14 points in the win over UAlbany and 11 in the victory over Elon, before handing out a career-high matching six assists at URI.
* Hinckson scored 12 points at Samford with eight rebounds, after going for 10 and eight in the win at Delaware State. On the year, he leads the MAAC in three-point percentage (.600) to go along with 8.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg (t-19th MAAC) and 1.5 spg (t-6th MAAC).
* Williams scored a season-high 14 minutes in just 10 minutes at URI to pace four double-digit scorers and is averaging 7.5 ppg.
* Buchanan scored a career-high 12 points in the victory over Delaware State, and most recently handed out a career-high four assists at Stony Brook. On the year the Bronx native is averaging 6.5 ppg, 2.0 apg and 1.0 spg.
Fordham Capsule
* Fordham enters the 'Battle of the Bronx' with a solid 5-2 record, having defeated FDU, Grand Canyon, Marist, St. Francis Brooklyn and UMES.
* The Rams are paced by the trio of Chuba Ohams (13.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg), Antwon Portley (10.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.7 apg) and Jalen Cobb (10.4 ppg, 2.7 apg).
* Portley was last year's 'Battle of the Bronx' MVP, finishing with 14 points and seven assists. Over his career vs. the Jaspers, he is averaging 10.2 ppg and 4.0 apg.
Manhattan Topples Elon
* The Jaspers posted a 69-64 win over the Phoenix, rallying from an early 17-point deficit.
* Masiello picked up his 130th career win and is now fourth in the all-time annals.
* Masiello is also now 9-5, all-time, against members of the CAA, including posting an impressive 6-1 mark when playing on the road.
* After scoring just eight points in the first three games, senior
Tyler Reynolds exploded for a season-best 14 points, on 4-of-7 shooting from deep, in the victory over the Phoenix.
* Junior
Nehemiah Mack added nine points, including sinking four-straight free throws with less than 10 seconds remaining to clinch the victory.
* Manhattan outscored Elon 61-39 over the final 27-plus minutes and scored on 13 of its last 15 possessions.
* The Jaspers were able to rally from a double-digit deficit for the second time this year, thanks to registering 11 steals.
Second-Half Success
* After halftime this year, Manhattan is averaging 38.0 ppg while shooting 44.6 percent from the floor, including 39.7 percent from long range, compared to just 25.2 ppg, on 29.5 percent shooting, and 23.6 percent from deep in the opening stanza.
* Greene has led the charge after intermission and is averaging 7.8 ppg while shooting 46.9 percent (15-of-32) from the field.
* In the second half of the win over the Phoenix, the Jaspers scored 48 points while shooting 56.5 percent (13-of-23) from the floor and 58.3 percent (7-of-12) from long range.
* Over the final five minutes, Manhattan converted on 80.0 percent (12-of-15) from the line, including making good on 7-for-8 in the last minute.
* In the win over UAlbany over the final six-plus minutes, the Jaspers posted a dominating 11-2 advantage on the glass, while ending the game on a 14-8 run - including scoring the final seven of the contest to turn a double-digit second half deficit into a 57-51 win.
Mas = Defense = Success
* Masiello is one of just seven Division I coaches that is 42 or younger with two conference titles and two trips to the NCAA Tourney, while posting a school-record 10 MAAC Tournament wins.
* Masiello has led Manhattan to a 130-134 (.492) record, including going 80-72 (.526) during MAAC play, over his nine seasons.
* At Draddy Gymnasium, Masiello holds a sterling 63-38 record (.624) and with five more wins will match Bobby Gonzalez for the most in program history.
* He has won two MAAC Titles, advanced to title game three times, claimed two Metropolitan Coach of the Year awards with a pair of 20-win campaigns. Masiello has also participated in the NCAA Tournament in 13 of his 24 seasons as a player or coach, including being a part of eight conference champions and one National Title.
* Masiello has a career collegiate record of 491-280 (.637), including 370-252 (.595) on the sidelines, with one National Title, two National Championship Game appearances, two Final Fours, six Elite Eight berths, eight conference championships, 13 NCAA Tournament appearances and 15 20-win seasons.
The Bench
* After starting all 32 games a year ago, Mack is leading the second unit this year. The Pennsylvania native has scored a season-high nine points on two occasions, and handed out a career-best six assists, against no turnovers at URI.
* On the year, Mack is averaging 4.5 ppg, 2.5 apg and 1.5 spg (6th MAAC) while converting a league-best 92.9 percent from the line.
* Through six games, Manhattan's bench is averaging 19.8 ppg, and has more than doubled up the opposition (119-57).
* The bench outscored the starters by a 35-34 count at Elon, while going 10-of-21 (.476) from the floor, 6-of-11 (.545) from deep, and a perfect 9-for-9 from the line.
For Starters
* The Jaspers improved to 75-39, all-time, in season openers with their wire-to-wire 85-74 win over Delaware State.
* Manhattan opened the season with a 13-0 run and converted a blistering 78.4 percent (29-of-37) from the line.
* The Jaspers also registered five double-figure scorers in the win over Delaware State for the first time since an 101-96 double-overtime victory at Marist on January 2, 2018.
Pretty, Pretty Good
* Ticket holders for all remaining basketball home games will now be able to receive 20 percent off in-restaurant orders on game days at Italian eatery Bella Notte by showing tickets to that day's contest. Bella Notte is located in central Riverdale on Johnson Avenue. This promotion covers all weekday and weekend games including Sunday Brunch, which starts at Noon. Click
HERE for more information
Preseason All-MAAC Recap
* Paulicap and Williams were each named to the 2019-20 Preseason All-MAAC Third Team, while Manhattan was tabbed fifth as a team.
* Paulicap averaged 8.5 points per game in limited action a year ago, while Williams notched a team-leading 9.2 points each time out in earning MAAC All-Rookie Team honors.
* Two years ago, Paulicap was named the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year following an outstanding year in which ranked 16th nationally with a MAAC-best 2.6 blocks per game (16th NCAA) to go along with 10.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
* Williams recorded double-figures a team-leading 16 times last season while pacing the MAAC with a .571 field goal percentage, and saved his best for last with a career-high 27 points against Canisius in the quarterfinals of the MAAC Championship.
The Returners
* Manhattan's returners have scored all but 10 points this year.
* The Jaspers bring back a MAAC-best 86.5 percent of their scoring, 85.4 percent of their rebounding and 83.3 percent of their assists.
DYK
* Manhattan was one of 20 teams in the Division I ranks to not lose a transfer, returning 14 letterwinners, including 10 scholarship student-athletes.
Newcomers
* Joining the Jaspers this year are junior
Michael Okafor, freshman
Adam Cisse and classmate
Romar Reid.
The Non-Conference Schedule
* Manhattan will play a nine-game non-conference schedule, highlighted by home games against Delaware State (MEAC), UAlbany (A-East) and Western Michigan (MAC).
* The Jaspers will also travel to Samford (Southern), Elon (CAA), URI (A-10), Stony Brook (A-East), Fordham (A-10) and Hofstra (CAA).
Repping Team USA
* Last summer, sophomore
Daniel Schreier helped lead the United States to gold in the 15th European Maccabi Games.
Silver Anniversary
* This year, the Jaspers will be recognizing the 25th anniversary of the 1994-95 team's NCAA at-large berth and subsequent win over Oklahoma in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.
What Is A Jasper?
* The unique nickname of Manhattan College's athletic teams, the Jaspers, comes from one of the College's most memorable figures, Brother Jasper of Mary, F.S.C., who served as the College's athletic director in the late 19th century. One of the greatest achievements of Brother Jasper was that he brought the then little-known sport of baseball to Manhattan College and became the team's first coach. Since Brother Jasper was also the Prefect of Discipline, he supervised the student fans at Manhattan baseball games while also directing the team itself. During one particularly warm and humid day when the college was playing a semi-pro baseball team called the Metropolitans, Brother Jasper noticed the Manhattan students were becoming restless and edgy with the team coming to bat in the seventh inning of a close game. To relieve the tension, Brother Jasper called timeout and told the students to stand up and stretch for a few minutes until the game resumed. Since the College annually played the New York Giants in the late 1880's and into the 1890's at the old Polo Grounds, the Manhattan College practice of the "seventh inning stretch" spread into the major leagues, where it has now become a time-honored custom practiced by millions of fans annually.
This Is Manhattan College
* Why is Manhattan College in the Bronx? Our campus was originally located in Manhattan at the intersection of 131st Street and Broadway. In 1923, Manhattan College moved to its present Riverdale location in order to accommodate a growing student body. But with more than 60 years of history established as Manhattan College, the institution decided to retain the name despite the geographic misnomer.
* 17 alumni are members of the prestigious National Academy of Engineering — an impressive number for an institution the size of Manhattan College.
* Alumni include Rudy Giuliani '65, former mayor of New York City; James Patterson '69, best-selling author; and Raymond Kelly '63, former commissioner of the NYPD.
* Manhattan is one of only 182 remaining colleges founded in the United States before the Civil War.
This Is Manhattan Basketball
* Manhattan has three wins in NCAA Tournament play, defeating West Virginia (1958), Oklahoma (1995) and Florida (2004).
* The Jaspers have won five MAAC Tournament titles in the last 25 years (1993, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2015).
* Manhattan received an at-large berth in 1995 and defeated Oklahoma before falling to Arizona State.
* Was the first team in NCAA history to a win a game in Europe, defeating Holy Cross 70-54 on December 1, 2017 as part of the inaugural Belfast Classic.
Up Next
* Manhattan will return home to host Western Michigan on Saturday, December 14 at 7:00 pm.
