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Niagara University, NY - Manhattan (7-14; 2-8 MAAC) begins its annual Western New York trip at Niagara (7-14; 4-6 MAAC) on Thursday, January 26 at 7:00 pm.
TOP STORYLINES
#1 - The Jaspers won the teams' first match-up by a 78-69 count after rallying from an 11-point second half deficit.
#2 - With a win, Steve Masiello would become the fifth coach in school history to reach 100 victories and is 7-4, all-time, against the Purple Eagles.
#3 - Manhattan leads the all-time series by a 50-32 count but is just 10-17 at Niagara since the Purple Eagles joined the MAAC for the 1988-1989 season.
QUICK HITS
* In the first match-up, the Jaspers forced 12 turnovers after halftime that led to 21 points.
* Manhattan ripped off a game-ending 41-21 run with junior Zavier Turner scored 17 of his game-high 21 points during the spurt while classmate Calvin Crawford deposited 11 of his season-high 20 during the pivotal stretch.
* Thanks to the duo, the Jaspers had two players score at least 20 points for the first time this year.
* Turner put the game on ice with 12 points in the final 3:53, going 9-of-10 from the line. In the final five minutes of games/ot, he is shooting 47.7 percent (21-of-44) from the floor and 85.0 percent (34-of-40) from the line.
* For the game, Manhattan turned Niagara over 17 times leading to 29 points while also drawing five charges
* In each of the Jaspers' seven wins, they have turned the opposition over at least 15 times, have been behind at the break in each of their last five victories and are a perfect 5-0 when holding teams to less than 70 points.
* Against Siena, junior Zane Waterman narrowly missed his first double-double of the year with a team-leading 14 points and nine rebounds after scoring a game-high 28 at Monmouth.
* Since the start of 2017, the North Carolina native is averaging a team-best 19.5 ppg with 6.5 rpg over eight games while shooting 52.7 percent (48-91) from the floor, 45.8 percent (11-of-24) from deep and 83.1 percent (49-of-59) from the line while scoring at least 20 points three times.
* Waterman, who scored a career-high 35 points in Manhattan's most recent win over Rider, ranks among the MAAC leaders in scoring (14.1 ppg-13th), rebounding (7.0 rpg-6th), FG percentage (.516-7th), 3-PT FG percentage (.415-10th) and FT percentage (.772-11th).
* His 35 markers are also 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.
* Waterman, who has started 48 straight games, also scored 26 vs. Fairfield and 23 at Morgan State and has hit the 20-point plateau four times this year and six in his career.
* Turner added 23 points in the victory Rider as he and Waterman gave Manhattan two 20-point scorers for a second-straight game.
* Turner then hit for at least 20 points for a fourth-straight game against Iona, finishing with a team-high 20 points.
* Turner ranks among the MAAC leaders in scoring (16.3 ppg-9th), three-point percentage (.448-1st), free throw percentage (.897-2nd), assists (3.5 apg-8th) and 3's per game (2.1-13th) while scoring at least 20 points eight times this year and on 14 occasions in his career.
* 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 against Quinnipiac.
* The duo of Turner and Waterman is fifth in the MAAC with 30.4 ppg, including 33.6 ppg during league play.
* Thanks to Turner's production, the seven Jasper newcomers are averaging a combined 41.6 ppg and 18.4 rpg while accounting for 56.9 percent of the offense and 48.9 percent of the rebounding.
* Freshman Aaron Walker Jr. scored 14 points with a team-high four assists against Monmouth, fueled by a highlight-reel dunk, has now hit for double-figures 10 times this year en route to averaging 8.6 ppg.
* 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, highlighted by a career-high 15-point effort against Winthrop.
* Also against Monmouth, Walker Jr. earned his second start of the year while giving Manhattan its eighth different starting line-up this year.
* The Jasper 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, who scored 11 points against Siena, is averaging 8.3 ppg and 7.0 rpg over the last six games after notching just 2.2 ppg and 2.6 rpg over his first 15 games.
* 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 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 345. Wilson notched season-highs of 10 points against Fairfield and five assists in the victory vs. Rider.
* The Bronx native had the momentum-changing three-point play that gave Manhattan the lead for good in the win over Fordham after drawing the game-clinching charge at Detroit Mercy.
* Crawford, who scored a season-high 20 in the first meeting with Niagara, notched 19 in the victory over EKU before going for 18 at Marist. He has hit for double-figures in scoring nine times en route to averaging 8.4 ppg.
* Freshman Na'Quan Council scored had a big game against Siena with nine points and a career-high matching five steals.
* Council also notched five steals, which is the most by a Jasper this year, in the win over EKU while adding a career-high 12 points.
* Junior Ahmed Ismail grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds in the win over Detroit Mercy while sophomore Ak Ojo scored a career-best nine. Ismail has notched nine points on a pair of occasions while Ojo grabbed a personal-best seven rebounds against Fairfield.
* 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 15 of its 21 games while ranking second in the MAAC in rebounding margin (+2.7) and rebounding defense (34.9) while registering at least 40 on seven occasions with a high-water mark of 51 at Marist, including 21 offensive caroms.
* 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.
* The Jaspers are 3-0 this year when limiting teams to less than 60 points (EKU (54), SFBK (54) & Fordham (53) and 38-4 under Masiello.
* 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 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 82-37 record (.689), including games against Florida State and WVU, both of whom are ranked in the top-10.
* Senior Rich Williams averaged 14.8 ppg and a team-best 6.0 rpg last year, highlighted by seven 20-plus point performances and three double-doubles.
* Masiello has led Manhattan to a 99-85 (.538) record, including going 60-46 (.566) during MAAC play and 47-24 (.662) 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 182-121 record.
* In his 21st season as either a player or a coach, Masiello has a career collegiate record of 462-231, including 341-203 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.
WHAT'S 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
• U.S. News & World Report ranks Manhattan 15th out of 138 in the Best Regional Universities (North) category of its 2016-17 Best Colleges list. This is the tenth year in a row the College has placed in the regional top 20. U.S. News & World Report also ranks Manhattan College as 8th among 52 regional universities that are attractive colleges for veteran students.
• Brookings ranks Manhattan College 9th out of more than 7,000 two- and four-year schools in an analysis that examined how well schools prepare students for successful careers.
• 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.
SCOUTING NIAGARA
The Purple Eagles enter Thursday's match-up winners of a season-high two in a row after besting Canisius and Saint Peter's and have defeated three of the top-four teams in the MAAC.
LEADING THE WAY
Niagara is paced by the guard duo of Matt Scott (17.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg) and Kahlil Dukes (16.0 ppg, 4.0 apg) while Marvin Prochet (9.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and Dominic Robb (9.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg) lead the frontcourt.
GLOBALLY SPEAKING
Manhattan boasts five foreign-born players in R. Williams (Jamaica), Ismail (Egypt), Usilo (Nigeria), Ojo (Nigeria) and freshman Oliver Ehrnvall (Sweden).
REMEMBERING FATHER HILL
At halftime, Manhattan College President Dr. Brennan O'Donnell and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Marianne Reilly honored Fr. George Hill, the College's longtime chaplain who passed away in September, as Father Hill's family was presented with a framed Jaspers' jersey. Masiello also is keeping a seat behind the bench vacant all season in honor of Father Hill with Manhattan basketball players are wearing memorial patches on the left shoulder of their jerseys in his honor.
TOUGH SCHEDULE
Included in the Jaspers' 11-game non-conference schedule were six games (Temple (NCAA), WVU (NCAA), Bucknell (NIT), Florida State (NIT), Hofstra (NIT) and Fordham (CIT)) vs. teams that qualified for the postseason a year ago.
PRESEASON POLL
Manhattan was slated to finish sixth in the annual preseason MAAC Coaches Poll with Rich Williams earning All-MAAC Second Team honors.
THE SENIORS
Rich Williams and Wilson, the team's lone scholarship seniors, have helped the Jaspers to a 64-54 record during their three-plus years with two MAAC titles and trips to the NCAA Tournament and a MAAC-best 7-1 conference tourney record. Sky Williams joined the squad as a walk-on this year.
THE WORLDWIDE LEADER
Manhattan is slated will appear on the ESPN family of networks 10 times during the 2016-2017 season, including seven during MAAC play, once on Fox Sports, once on SNY and once on Root Sports.
NEWCOMERS
The Jaspers welcome seven student-athletes to the fold this season S. Williams (Tuckahoe), Turner (Ball State), Ismail (Colby CC/Egypt), Peart (Eastern Florida State), Council (Scotland Performance (PA)), Ehrnvall (Swedan), Walker Jr. (Cardozo).
NEW YORK STATE OF MIND
Seven of Manhattan's 15 student-athletes - R. Williams, S. Williams, Wilson, Crawford, Capuano, Maloney, Walker Jr. - hail from the state of New York.
REPRESENTING THE USA
The Jaspers also boast players from Florida (Peart), New Jersey (Council), North Carolina (Waterman).
MEET THE STAFF
Masiello is joined on the bench by Matt Grady, Shawn Finney, Branden McDonald, Stephen Elmore and Michael Alvarado. Grady is in his sixth year as an associate head coach with Finney arriving in Riverdale after spending the last six years at UCF. McDonald is in his second year while Elmore begins his third year with Alvarado returning for his second season.
111TH SEASON OF JASPERS BASKETBALL
In its 111th season, the Manhattan men's basketball program boasts a 1347-1202 overall record (282-300 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 concludes the Western New York excursion at Canisius on Saturday, January 28 with opening tip tabbed for 2:00 pm.
