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Poughkeepsie, NY - Winners of three-of-four, Manhattan (5-8; 0-2 MAAC) returns to MAAC play at Marist (4-10; 1-2 MAAC) on Monday, January 2 at 7:00 pm.
TOP STORYLINES
#1 - The Jaspers most recently bested Eastern Kentucky 81-54 and are limiting opposing teams to just 61.0 ppg over the last four games.
#2 - A year ago, Manhattan took two-of-three from Marist while knocking the Red Foxes out of the MAAC Tournament for the second-straight season.
#3 - The Jaspers concluded non-conference play with a 27-point come-from-behind victory over the Colonels thanks to recording a season-high 13 steals.
QUICK HITS
* Manhattan's 13 thefts are the most since recording 13 in a win over Quinnipiac on March 1, 2015.
* Over the last three-plus years, the Jaspers are 25-3 when recording double-figures in steals and 36-6 since head coach Steve Masiello took over prior to the 2011-2012 season.
* In Manhattan's last three wins, the Jaspers have held EKU to just 54 points, SFBK to 54 and Fordham 53 in moving to 38-4 in the Masiello era when limiting teams to less than 60 points.
* The win was the third-biggest in Masiello's six years a the helm. He now has 97 wins as a head coach, 180 at Manhattan (asst. 2001-05) and 460 as a player/coach.
* Over the last four games, the Jaspers are limiting the opposition to just 38.5 percent shooting, including 28.4 percent from deep, while averaging 9.0 spg.
* Masiello is 10-2, all-time, against Marist with Manhattan holding a 31-16 advantage in the series.
* The Jaspers scored a season-high 53 points in the second half against EKU while shooting 68.0 percent (17-of-25) from the floor.
* Junior Calvin Crawford scored 19 points against EKU to lead the Manhattan second unit, which produced a season-high 45 points.
* Crawford had 12 points with seven rebounds and two blocks in the win over Fordham and has now scored in double-figures four times in his last seven games. During that time, he is averaging 10.6 ppg with 3.5 rpg while elevating his scoring average to 8.1 ppg.
* Freshman Na'Quan Council scored a career-high 12 points with five assists and five steals while classmate Aaron Walker Jr. matched him with 12 points to go along with six assists off the bench as the reserves outscored the starters by a 45-36 count.
* Council hit for double-digits in points for the first time in his career after previous notching nine on three occasions and is averaging 5.8 ppg.
* Walker Jr. previously had 11 points and five boards in the win over St. Francis Brooklyn and 14 at Florida State and has scored in double-figures five times in his last six games and on eight occasions.
* The Brooklyn native earned MAAC Rookie of the Week honors earlier this year after averaging 12.3 ppg and 3.3 rpg over three games during the week ending November 20, highlighted by a career-high 15-point effort against Winthrop. He is third on the team in scoring at 9.2 ppg.
* Junior Zane Waterman earned his 40th-straight start in the win over EKU and was the lone Jasper starter to score in double-figures, finishing with 11 while pulling down a team-high six rebounds.
* Waterman scored a career-high matching 23 points, on 11-of-15 shooting, at Morgan State after notching his sixth double-digit rebounding performance of his career with 10 against Canisius.
* The North Carolina native ranks among the MAAC leaders in scoring (10.8 ppg-28th), rebounding (7.2 rpg-6th), field goal percentage (.505-9th) and three-point field goal percentage (.390-14th).
* Junior Zavier Turner failed to hit double-figures in points for just the third time this year in the win over EKU but was a perfect 8-of-8 from the line.
* Turner scored 26 points in the previous win over St. Francis Brooklyn, making good on 7-of-9 from long range and is now converting on 50.0 percent (31-of-62), ranking second in the MAAC.
* The Ball State transfer is fifth in the MAAC in scoring (17.1 ppg), second in free throw percentage (.910) and seventh in three pointers made (2.4) while hitting for at least 20 points four times this year and 10 in his career.
* Over his last 10 games, Turner is averaging 18.5 ppg and 3.5 apg while shooting 50.5 percent (51-of-101) from the field, 57.1 percent (28-of-49) from long range and 91.7 percent (55-of-60) at the line.
* Turner scored a game-high 18 points to go along with five assists against No. 23 Florida State after earning John “Doc” Johnson Most Outstanding Performer in Manhattan's win over Fordham with 15 points He also scored career-high 32 points at in the victory at Detroit Mercy, including 10 in overtime, to go along with six assists and had 30 against Saint Peter's and 28 at Temple.
* The Jaspers opened the second half against EKU on a 23-5 run, including 12-straight at one point after ripping off a 13-4 run to start the second half against St. Francis Brooklyn.
* Manhattan also limited the Colonels to just 37.2 percent shooting, including 29.4 percent from deep, and the Terriers to just 30.9 percent, including 24.0 percent from long range.
* Waterman put the SFBK game on ice with a pair of late free throws and is now averaging a team-best 5.0 ppg and 3.0 rpg in the last five minutes of games decided by 10 points or less while accounting for 33.8 percent of the Jaspers' scoring and 36.7 percent of its rebounding.
* In the Fordham win, the Rams started out 9-of-15 (.600) from the field before the visitors went just 8-of-39 (.205) the rest of the way.
* Not to be overlooked in the win over Fordham was Tyler Wilson's play as the senior converted the momentum-changing three-point play that gave Manhattan the lead for good. No stranger to big-time plays, Wilson drew the game-clinching charge in the win at Detroit Mercy.
* At Morgan State, Capuano finished with a career-high 18 points to go along with five rebounds, four assists and four steals in 48 minutes of action before following that up with 10 points, four rebounds and three assists in the victory against Fordham. He is averaging 7.5 ppg and 1.3 spg (12th MAAC).
* Junior Ahmed Ismail pulled down a team-high eight rebounds in the win over SFBK after grabbing a game-high nine caroms against Florida State and earlier set a career-high with 11 rebounds in the win over Detroit Mercy. The Egypt native ranks among the MAAC leaders in rebounding (5.8-14th) and blocks (1.2-7th).
* The Jaspers have won the rebounding battle in 10 of their 13 games while ranking fourth in the MAAC in rebounding offense (37.4), second in rebounding defense (34.0) and first in rebounding margin (+3.4).
* Manhattan has notched at least 40 caroms five times this year, including pulling down a season-high 45 at Bucknell, including 19 offensive caroms. Both totals are the most by a Jasper team since the 2014-2015 season.
* Junior Zavier Peart has scored in double-figures in scoring three times this year and is averaging 4.9 ppg and 2.7 rpg while shooting 63.2 percent (24-of-38) from the floor.
* The Miami native earned his first collegiate starting nod at Florida State as Manhattan has now used seven different line-ups this year.
* In the win over Detroit Mercy, the Jaspers went 9-for-12 from the line in overtime with Walker Jr. sinking two free throws to tie the game up with 0.7 seconds remaining in the first extra session.
* Junior Samson Usilo had a career-high nine points and seven rebounds at WVU while fellow Nigerian sophomore Ak Ojo scored a career-high nine points in the win at Detroit Mercy.
* In the final five minutes of games/overtime, Turner is averaging 3.8 ppg while shooting 60.9 percent (14-of-23) from the floor and 90.0 percent (18-of-20) from the line.
* Through the first 13 games, the seven Manhattan newcomers are averaging a combined 42.7 ppg and 18.2 rpg while accounting for 59.4 percent of the team's offense and 48.6 percent of the rebounding.
* In an 80-68 win over Hofstra, the Jaspers shot a blistering 53.7 percent (29-for-54) from the floor, including a perfect 100 percent (17-for-17) from the line, and scored on seven of the Pride's nine first-half turnovers, parlaying the miscues into 17 points.
* Setting the tone was Peart, who scored 14 points in the opening half while connecting on all seven of his shots en route to finishing with a game-high 16.
* Wilson handed out five assists, against just one turnover, against Hofstra while moving past RaShawn Stores into ninth place on the program's all-time assist list and now has 327.
* Manhattan finished non-conference play with a 5-6 record after competing against squads from 11 different conferences (ACC, American, Atlantic 10, Big South, Big 12, CAA, Horizon, MEAC, NEC, OVC, Patriot). The Jaspers also played in six states: NY (5), PA (2), FL (1), MD (1), MI (1) and WV (1)
* Manhattan has now played two ranked teams and six non-conference games against teams that played in the postseason or won 20 games a year ago.
* Masiello has led the Jaspers to a 97-79 (.551) record, including going 58-40 (.592) during MAAC play and 45-21 (.682) at Draddy Gymnasium over his six seasons with three MAAC Title Game appearances, three postseason berths, two Metropolitan Coach of the Year honors and two 20-win campaigns.
* He has participated in the NCAA Tournament in 13 of his 20 seasons as a player or coach, including being a part of eight conference champions and one National Championship.
* Manhattan was slated to finish sixth in the annual preseason MAAC Coaches Poll with Williams earning All-MAAC Second Team honors.
* Williams and Wilson, the team's lone seniors, have helped the Jaspers to a 62-48 record during their three-plus years with two MAAC titles, two trips to the NCAA Tournament and a MAAC-best 7-1 conference tourney record.
* Williams, who has yet to play due to injury, averaged 14.8 ppg and a team-best 6.0 rpg last year, highlighted by seven 20-plus point performances and three double-doubles. Additionally, he raised both his scoring (+9.3 ppg) and rebounding (+4.5 rpg) numbers and took his game to another level at the MAAC Tournament, averaging a team-leading 21.0 ppg.
* Manhattan boasts five foreign-born players in R. Williams (Jamaica), Ismail (Egypt), Usilo (Nigeria), Ojo (Nigeria) and Oliver Ehrnvall (Sweden).
* Since returning to Riverdale, Masiello has led Manhattan to a pair of MAAC Titles as well as a pair of 20-plus win campaigns. In his first tenure, he was a part of two MAAC Championships and three 20-plus win seasons. All told, Masiello has been a member of four of the five Jaspers' MAAC Championship teams and five of the school's 12 20-win seasons in accruing a 180-115 record.
* In his 21st season as either a player or a coach, Masiello has a career collegiate record of 460-225, including 339-197 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.
