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West Long Branch, NJ - Manhattan (7-12; 2-6 MAAC) returns to action at defending MAAC Regular Season Champion Monmouth on Friday, January 20 at 7:00 pm in a game that will be streamed on ESPN3.
TOP STORYLINES
#1 - The teams split last season's match-ups with each squad holding court at home.
#2 - With a win, Steve Masiello would become the fifth coach in school history to reach 100 victories and is 5-1, all-time, against Monmouth.
#3 - Last year, junior Calvin Crawford notched at least 20 points in each game with the Hawks, averaging 21.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg while shooting 66.7 percent from the field.
QUICK HITS
* This past Tuesday against Iona, junior Zavier Turner scored a team-high 20 points while going 8-of-15 from the floor and 4-of-6 from deep.
* Turner has now scored at least 20 points eight times this year, including each of the last four games, and on 14 occasions for his career.
* In his last four, the Ball State transfer is averaging 21.8 ppg and 4.5 apg while shooting 52.6 percent (10-of-19) from the field and 90.0 percent (27-of-30) from the line.
* The Jaspers earned their most recent victory against Rider by a 76-73 count thanks to a career-high 35 points from junior Zane Waterman.
* Waterman scored 26 of his 35 points after halftime while Turner registered 23.
* The duo went a combined 15-of-31 (.484) from the floor and 24-of-29 (.828) from the line while giving Manhattan two 20-point scorers for a second-straight game.
* Waterman's 35 markers are the most scored by a Masiello-coached player and the most by a Jasper since George Beamon had 35 in an 84-81 win over Siena on February 13, 2011.
* Turner is seventh in the MAAC in scoring (17.1 ppg), first from long range (.467), second from the line (.912), eighth in assists (3.5 apg) and eighth in 3's per game (2.2).
* Waterman, who has started 46 straight games for Manhattan, ranks among the MAAC leaders in scoring (13.4 ppg-17th), rebounding (6.9 rpg-7th), FG percentage (.537-4th) and FT percentage (.747-14th).
* Since the start of 2017, the North Carolina native is averaging a team-best 19.0 ppg and 6.2 rpg while shooting 58.7 percent (37-63) from the floor and 81.0 percent (34-of-42) from the line while scoring at least 15 points in five-of-six games.
* The Jaspers, which trailed by two at halftime against the Broncs, have been behind at the break in each of their last five wins.
* Waterman's aforementioned 35-point performance bettered his previous high of 26 points set vs. Fairfield after going for 23 at Morgan State.
* Manhattan had two players score at least 20 points vs. Niagara for the first time this year with Turner scoring 21 points and Crawford chipping in with a season-high 20.
* Crawford, who has played in 17 games as a reserve, notched 19 in the victory over EKU before hitting for a team-high 18 at Marist. He has hit for double-figures in scoring eight times en route to averaging 8.4 ppg.
* In the final five minutes of games/ot, Turner is averaging 3.9 ppg while shooting 47.5 percent (19-of-40) from the floor and 88.6 percent (31-of-35) from the line. He scored 12 points over the final four minutes in the win over Niagara while going 9-of-10 from the line.
* Turner, recorded 26 points in the win over St. Francis Brooklyn, making good on 7-of-9 from long range, after scoring a career-high 32 points at in the victory at Detroit Mercy, including 10 in overtime, to go along with six assists. He also had 30 against Saint Peter's, 28 at Temple and 23 agianst Quinnipiac.
* Thanks to Turner's production, the seven newcomers are averaging a combined 42.1 ppg and 18.7 rpg while accounting for 57.4 percent of the offense and 49.3 percent of the rebounding.
* The Jaspers rallied from a season-high 11 point second-half deficit against the Purple Eagles thanks to forcing 12 second-half turnovers that led to 21 points.
* Over the final 14 minutes, Manhattan outscored Niagara 38-19 while shooting 55.0 percent (11-of-20) from the floor and 90.9 percent (10-of-11) from the line.
* The Jaspers also drew five charges after recording just one over the previous two games combined and improved to 5-0 when holding the opposition to less than 70 points.
* Manhattan's reserves outscored the starters in the win over EKU (45-36) before matching the second unit against Marist (44-44).
* Junior Thomas Capuano had 13 points and six rebounds in the win over Niagara while classmate Samson Usilo narrowly missed his second-straight double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds.
* At Quinnipiac, Usilo had 12 points and 11 rebounds while notching the first Jasper double-double of the year and was joined in double-figures on the boards by junior Zavier Peart, who added a career-high 10 rebounds.
* Thanks to Usilo and Peart, Manhattan placed two in double-figures on the boards for the first time since Emmy Andujar (11) and Ashton Pankey (10) did so in leading the Jaspers to a 79-69 win over Iona in the 2015 MAAC Championship on March 9, 2015.
* Usilo is averaging 8.6 ppg and 8.2 rpg over the last five games after notching just 1.9 ppg and 2.4 rpg over his first 14 games.
* Peart earned his first collegiate starting nod at Florida State as Manhattan has used seven different line-ups this year.
* Capuano set a career-high with 18 points to go along with five rebounds, four assists and four steals at Morgan State.
* Senior Tyler Wilson had a season-best matching 10 points against Fairfield while freshman Aaron Walker Jr. added 14 points and classmate Na'Quan Council chipped in with 10.
* Wilson handed out four assists, against just one turnover, in the win over Niagara while moving past Jason Wingate into eighth place on the program's all-time assist list and now has 341 after handing out a season-high five in the victory vs. Rider.
* The Bronx native had the momentum-changing three-point play that gave the Jaspers the lead for good in the win over Fordham after drawing the game-clinching charge at Detroit Mercy.
* Sophomore Ak Ojo pulled down a career-high seven rebounds against Fairfield after scoring a career-high nine points in the win over Detroit Mercy.
* Freshman Aaron Walker Jr. 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, fueled by a career-high 15-point effort against Winthrop and is averaging 8.6 ppg.
* Manhattan concluded non-conference play with a 27-point come-from-behind victory over EKU thanks to recording a season-high 13 steals.
* The 13 thefts are the most since recording 13 in a win over Quinnipiac on March 1, 2015 while the 27-point margin of victory was the third-highest in Masiello's six years on campus.
* Over the last three-plus years, the Jaspers are 25-3 when recording double-figures in steals and 36-6 since Masiello took over prior to the 2011-2012 season.
* Manhattan has won the rebounding battle in 14 of its 19 games while ranking first in the MAAC in rebounding margin (+4.0) and second in rebounding defense (34.8) while registering at least 40 caroms seven times, highlighted by a season-high 51 at Marist, including 21 offensive caroms.
* The Jaspers are 3-0 this year when limiting teams to less than 60 points (EKU (54), SFBK (54) & Fordham (53) and 38-4 during Masiello's six years.
* The 51 rebounds are the most since registering the same number in a season-opening 99-90 victory at La Salle on November 9, 2013.
* Manhattan 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 SFBK.
* After halftime, the Jaspers 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.
* Thanks to the aforementioned performance against EKU following halftime, Manhattan scored a season-high 53 second-half points while shooting 68.0 percent (17-of-25) from the floor.
* 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.
* In an 80-68 win over Hofstra, Manhattan 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.
* The Jaspers finished non-conference play with a 5-6 record with their six losses coming to teams that have a combined 76-35 record (.685), including games against No. Florida State and WVU, both of whom are ranked in the top-10.
* Senior Rich Williams, who has yet to play this year for the Jaspers 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.
* Masiello has led Manhattan to a 99-83 (.544) record, including going 60-44 (.577) during MAAC play and 47-23 (.671) at Draddy Gym 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.
* Masiello 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 Title.
* Since returning to Riverdale, Masiello has guided the Jaspers 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 Titles and three 20-plus win seasons. All told, Masiello has been a member of four of Manhattan's five MAAC Championship teams and five of the school's 12 20-win seasons in recording a 182-119 record.
* In his 21st season as either a player or a coach, Masiello has a career collegiate record of 462-229, including 341-201 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.
SCOUTING MONMOUTH
Defending MAAC Regular Season Champion Monmouth enters with a 14-5 record, including a league-leading 6-2 mark during league play. The Hawks are led by reigning Player of the Year Justin Robinson, who is averaging 17.6 ppg, 5.5 apg, 3.5 rpg and 1.7 spg. Rounding out the double-digit performers for Monmouth is Micah Seaborn (15.4 ppg), Je'Lon Hornbeak (10.9 ppg) and Chris Brady (10.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg).
DYK>?
The last time Manhattan faced a team occupying the top spot in the MAAC was last Friday and the Jaspers emerged victorious thanks to a career-high 35 points from Waterman.
A YEAR AGO
Manhattan was 13th nationally with 15.8 forced turnovers per game while turning the opposition over on at least 20 occasions five times and finished 36th nationally with 7.7 thefts per game.
THE MASIELLO WAY
Since Masiello took over the program in 2011-2012, the Jaspers are 36-6 when notching 10 steals, including 25-3 over the last three years, and 20-11 when forcing at least 20 turnovers.
IMPRESSIVE
Manhattan posted a 24-0 advantage in second-chance points at Temple.
NOT SHABBY
Over the last three-plus years, the Jaspers are 46-8 when leading at the half, 25-8 when limiting teams to less than 40 percent shooting and 41-21 when forcing more turnovers than the opposition.
MASIELLO AT MANHATTAN
Masiello has been a part of four of Manhattan's five MAAC Championships while helping lead the Jaspers to a 182-119 record in this his 10th season in Riverdale.
111TH SEASON OF JASPERS BASKETBALL
In its 111th season, the Manhattan men's basketball program boasts a 1347-1200 overall record (282-298 MAAC). The Jaspers' storied men's basketball team was established in 1904-05 and took a two-year hiatus during the 1943-44 and 1944-45 season due to World War II.
UP NEXT
Manhattan hosts Siena on Sunday, January 22 with opening tip tabbed for 2:00 pm.
