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Riverdale, NY - Manhattan (3-4; 2-4 MAAC) will host Niagara (5-5; 4-4 MAAC) on Friday, January 15 and Saturday, January 16, with each game starting at 4:00 pm.
Quinnipiac Weekend Recap
* The Jaspers split last weekend's series at Quinnipiac, winning the second game by a 45-42 count.
* With the win, Head Coach
Steve Masiello moved past former student-athlete, coach and admin Jack Powers into third place in school history with his 143nd victory.
* Junior
Warren Williams averaged 12.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg and 2.0 bpg in Connecticut, while classmate
Ant Nelson added 10.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 3.0 apg.
* Manhattan yielded a season-low 42 points the last time out, moving to 2-0 this year and 60-11 under Masiello when yielding less than 60 points.
* The Jasper defense also posted a season-best in field goal percentage defense (.318), while the offense surrendered a season-low six turnovers.
* In the game one against the Bobcats, Manhattan had season-highs in rebounds (50), rebounding margin (+14), assists (15) and steals (14).
* Williams had 19 points and nine rebounds in the opener, while Nelson registered his first career double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
* The Jaspers also registered 11 steals in the first match-up with the Bobcats, notching double-figures for the 63rd time under Masiello, while also pulling down a season-best 19 offensive rebounds.
* Fueled by the 19 offensive caroms, the Green & White also hit the 50-carom mark for the first time since grabbing 51 at Marist on January 2, 2017.
Coach Masiello Quick Hits
* Masiello, who inked a three-year extension in February, led Manhattan to back-to-back MAAC Championships in 2014 and 2015, and set a school record against Rider with his 69th career win at Draddy Gym.
* He is one of just nine active Division I coaches with a National Title as a player, and one of seven coaches that is 43 or younger with two conference titles and two trips to the NCAA Tourney while adding a school-record 11 MAAC Tournament wins.
* Masiello is 13-5, all-time, against Niagara, with the Jaspers holding an all-time record of 56-33, including 21-9 at Draddy.
* The 10th-year coach is also 8-1 against the Purple Eagles at Draddy Gymnasium, with Manhattan winning each of the last seven meetings in Riverdale.
In The Rankings
* Manhattan leads the MAAC and ranks 46th nationally with a league-best 12.6 offensive rebounds per game, while also ranking 43rd nationally with 16.4 forced turnovers per game and 92nd with 3.9 blocks per game.
Getting Defensive
* Over the last four games, the defense is limiting opposing three-point shooters to a minuscule 19.1 percent (13-of-68).
* The Green & White turned Marist over at least 20 times in each match-up, doing so in back in back-to-back games for the time since early in the 2018-19 season (UNC Asheville, George Washington), and have now forced at least 20 miscues on 44 occasions in Masiello's 10 years.
Manhattan Topples Delaware State
* The Jaspers concluded 2020 with a 65-59 win over Delaware State in the Green & White's lone non-conference game this season.
* Manhattan closed out the win at Delaware State by converting on each of its final six possessions, and was 6-for-8 from the line over the final five minutes.
* This season in games decided by 10 points or less, the Jaspers have made good on a blistering 69.8 percent (30-of-43) from the charity stripe.
* Junior
Elijah Buchanan paced Manhattan in scoring with 16 points, while Williams registered his first career double-double thanks to 10 points and 11 rebounds.
* Senior
Ethan Lasko, who made his first career start at Quinnipiac, scored a career-high matching nine points, one year after hitting the number in the home victory over the Hornets, on the strength of three triples, the last of which capped a game-changing 14-2 spurt that turned a two-point deficit into a 10-point halftime advantage.
Ant-Man Strikes
* Nelson has registered double-figures in scoring a team-best six times, while pacing the squad on four occasions, and hitting for at least 20 points twice.
* The Seton Hall transfer also had 23 points in the finale against Marist, is fourth the MAAC and 67th nationally with 16.3 ppg, to go along with 2.9 apg (12th MAAC), and also ranks seventh in the MAAC and ranks 70th nationally from the line (.857).
Nelson Named MAAC Player Of The Week
* The high-powered point guard earned MAAC Player of the Week honors for the week ending December 13, after averaging 23.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 3.0 apg while shooting 71.4 percent from the floor, including 85.7 percent from long range, and a perfect 100.0 percent over two games against Rider.
* Nelson scored 19 points in the opener, before notching a career-high 27 points with six rebounds and four assists in the finale.
S Squared
* Junior
Samir Stewart returned to the line-up this past weekend, and averaged 9.0 ppg and 3.5 apg at Quinnipiac.
* Over four career games with Niagara, Stewart is averaging 13.3 ppg and 3.0 apg, with a 3.0 assist/turnover ratio while making good on 55.6 percent (15-of-27) from the field and 52.2 percent (12-of-23) from long range.
* Two years ago, he hit for a career-high 22 points in a 90-80 victory vs. Niagara on January 2, 2019 in Draddy Gymnasium, while going a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor, including burying all five triple tries, and a perfect 5-for-5 from the line.
EB Making Moves
* Buchanan leads the MAAC with 2.3 steals per game, while also ranking among the league leaders in scoring (11.0 ppg-17th), rebounding (6.0 rpg-14th), blocks (1.3 bpg-6th) and minutes (34.8 mpg-6th).
* Buchanan reached the 20-point mark in the win over Rider, finishing with a career-high 20 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks in the finale against Rider.
* His big performance along with Nelson's aforementioned career-high 27 against the Broncs, marked the first time the Jaspers had two 20-point scorers in the same game since
Zavier Turner and
Rich Williams did so in a 92-86 win over Quinnipiac on February 25, 2018.
The Big Man
* Williams, who notched double-figures in scoring for the 30th time in the opener at Quinnipiac, recorded his first career double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) with a career-high four blocks in the win at Delaware State is averaging 11.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg and 2.7 bpg over his last three games.
* The Preseason All-MAAC Second Team selection ranks among the league leaders with 6.1 rpg (12th MAAC) and 1.7 bpg (4th MAAC), to go along with 8.4 ppg.
Transfer Notes
* The Jaspers' five junior transfers (
Nick Brennen,
Samba Diallo,
Jason Douglas-Stanley, Nelson and
Marques Watson) are averaging 40.8 ppg and 16.6 rpg, while accounting for 57.4 percent of the team's scoring (36.6 ppg) and 47.6 percent of the rebounding (17.1 rpg).
* Diallo (UMass), Douglas-Stanley (George Mason) and Nelson (Seton Hall) all were granted waivers for immediate eligibility from the NCAA.
* Watson scored a career-high matching 10 points in the first game against Quinnipiac, and is averaging 7.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.5 apg and 36.5 mpg over the last four games.
* Douglas-Stanley scored a career-high 19 points in the second game against Marist, and has recorded double-figures in points three times en route to averaging 9.4 ppg and 1.4 triples per game.
* In the win over Quinnipiac, the George Mason transfer bookended Manhattan's game-changing 14-2 run with a big three-point play, before also adding a momentum-altering three pointer that made gave the Jaspers a six-point advantage, while also pulling down a career-high five rebounds.
* Diallo, a UMass transfer, scored nine points with five rebounds and two blocks in the victory over Rider, before scoring seven points in the win at Quinnipiac, and is 10th in the MAAC in both offensive rebounds (2.0 orpg) and steals (1.3 spg).
Last Year Against The Purple Eagles
The Jaspers swept the season-series from Niagara thanks to surrendering just 60.5 ppg, on 39.3 percent shooting, while posting a +9.5 margin on the glass (41.0 rpg).
Scouting Niagara
Niagara enters with a 5-5 record, including going 4-4 in league play, and is paced by the duo of Marcus Hammond (15.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.0 apg) and Kobi Nwandu (12.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg). Led by former Duke floor general Greg Paulus, the Purple Eagles have turned it over just 9.6 times per game, and have done a good job of converting from the line (.724).
More Mas
* Under Masiello, Manhattan is 46-17 (.730) when registering double-figures in steals and 28-16 (.636) when turning the opposition over at least 20 times.
* Masiello is one of just nine active Division I coaches with a National Title as a player, and one of seven coaches that is 43 or younger with two conference titles and two trips to the NCAA Tourney while adding a school-record 11 MAAC Tournament wins.
* He has led the Jaspers to a 143-153 (.483) record, including going 90-88 (.506) during MAAC play. At Draddy Gym, he is 69-47 (.595), including 54-35 (.607) vs. league opposition. He has won two MAAC Championships, advanced to the title game three times and 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 full seasons as a player or coach, including being a part of eight conference champions and one National Title and holds a career record of 504-299 (.628).
The Worldwide Leader
* For the second-straight season all of Manhattan's MAAC games will air on the
ESPN family of networks. Most games will air on
ESPN3 or
ESPN+, with
ESPN3 games able to be accessed through a cable subscription, and
ESPN+ a standalone subscription to
ESPN.
* Manhattan's game with Fairfield at Draddy Gymnasium on Friday, February 5 has been flexed to national television and will air on
ESPNU at 9:00 pm. This marks the second-straight season that the Jaspers will host an
ESPNU affair, besting Niagara 77-59 this past February.
Preseasons Are For Polls
* Manhattan was slated to finish fifth in the annual MAAC Preseason Poll, and returns 10 letterwinners, two starters, 46.2 percent of its scoring and 32.2 percent of its rebounding.
* Williams was named to the preseason All-MAAC Second Team after a solid second year in Riverdale. He averaged 8.3 ppg, including 9.7 ppg during league play, and scored in double-figures 11 times, while pacing the squad on five occasions.
Meet The Staff
* Masiello is joined on the bench by
Matt Grady,
RaShawn Stores,
Doug Thibault,
Jon Mangel and
Tyler Wilson. Grady is in his 10th year, Stores his fifth, Thibault his third, Mangel his second and Wilson his fourth.
Last Year
* Last season, Manhattan again ranked among the NCAA leaders in scoring defense (64.2 ppg-40th), turnovers forced (14.9-60th), blocks (4.0 bpg-76th), offensive rebounds (11.1-82nd), steals (7.0 spg-99th) and field goal percentage defense (.418-107th).
* Manhattan turned Quinnipiac and Delaware State each over 25 times last year, while also matching the most forced turnovers by a Masiello-coached team.
* The Jaspers also overcome second half double-digit deficits in victories over UAlbany, at Elon and at Fordham.
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.
* 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.
