Manhattan To Take On Rhode Island

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Kingston, RI - Manhattan (3-1) returns to action against Rhode Island (4-2) at the Ryan Center on Wednesday, November 27 with opening tip slated for 4:00 pm, in a game will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
Start Me Up!
* Manhattan is 3-1 for the first time since its MAAC Championship season of 2013-14 and with one more victory, would have wins in four-of-five to start the season for the first time since the 2002-03 campaign that also ended with a league title. 
* The Jaspers are one of just two MAAC teams with at least three wins in the early part of the season.

Roadtrippin
* Wednesday's game is the third of a five-game road trip, as the Green & White will play nine of its next 10 games on the road.

Series History With URI/Ram Capsule
* Manhattan and URI will be playing for the first time in almost 14 years, with the Rams holding a scant 11-10 advantage.
* Fueled by four double-figure scorers, the Jaspers defeated the Rams by a 67-58 count on November 23, 2004.
* URI is 4-2, highlighted by a win over Alabama, and is led by Fatts Russell (19.5 ppg, 5.2 apg), Jeff Dowtin (13.5 ppg) and Cyril Langevine (10.5 ppg, 11.0 rpg).

Manhattan Topples Elon
* The last time out, the Jaspers posted a 69-64 win over the Phoenix, rallying from an early 17-point deficit.
* Head Coach Steve 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.
* Led by Reynolds & Mack, the bench outscored the starters by a 35-34 count, while going 10-of-21 (.476) from the floor, 6-of-11 (.545) from deep, and a perfect 9-for-9 from the line.
* 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.
* Senior Pauly Paulicap blocked two shots for the third-straight game and is now fifth with 95 in his career, and is averaging 1.5 bpg, 7.3 ppg and 5.8 rpg.

That Defense ...
* The Green & White improved to 44-14 (.759) under Masiello when notching double-figures in steals with the result at Elon, and are first in the MAAC and 28th nationally with 10.0 steals each time out.

Second-Half Success
* 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. 
* After halftime this year, the Jaspers are averaging 39.5 ppg while shooting 45.8 percent from the floor, including 39.5 percent from long range, compared to just 27.5 ppg, on 31.3 percent shooting, and 23.2 percent from deep in the opening stanza.
* Over the final six-plus minutes in the win over UAlbany, Manhattan 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.
* Junior Tykei Greene, who scored all 10 of his points at Elon after halftime, fueled the comeback win over the Great Danes by scoring 10 over the final six-plus minutes.
* This year, Greene is averaging 9.8 ppg after halftime while shooting 54.5 percent (12-of-22) from the field.

#GoGreene
* Greene has notched notched double-figures in scoring in all four games, while pacing the Jaspers in scoring three times en route to averaging a team-best 13.8 ppg and 7.3 rpg.
* 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 four games, Greene and fellow sophomores Elijah Buchanan, Christian Hinckson, Samir Stewart and Warren Williams have combined to account for 64.3 percent of the offense (43.0 ppg) and 50.4 percent of the rebounding (17.5 rpg).
* Stewart scored 14 points in the win over UAlbany, before netting all 11 of his points at Elon after halftime, including three huge triples, the last which helped fuel a game-clinching 7-0 run.
* The Sunshine State native has also been outstanding on the defensive end this year, posting a pair of five-steal performances, and is averaging 9.5 ppg and 3.0 apg, while pacing the MAAC with 3.0 spg and a 3.0 assist/turnover ratio.
* Hinckson scored 12 points with a career-high matching eight rebounds at Samford and is averaging 8.5 ppg and 4.8 rpg.  
* Buchanan netted a career-high 12 points in the opener against Delaware State and is averaging 7.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 1.5 apg.
* Williams made his season debut at Samford and scored nine points with five rebounds at Elon.

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. 
* The Jaspers defeated UAlbany 57-51 while improving to 51-9 (.850) under Masiello when limiting the opposition to less than 60 points.
* Since Masiello took over 2011-12, the Jaspers are also 27-14 when forcing at least 20 miscues.
* In the win over Delaware State, Manhattan's 25 forced turnovers (3x last- Siena (1/13/18)) and 16 steals (Buffalo (12/21/13)) match the most recorded by Masiello in his nine years at the helm of the Jaspers.
* 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.
* Masiello has led Manhattan to a 130-132 (.496) record, including going 80-72 (.526) during MAAC play, over his nine seasons.
* 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 491-278 (.638), including 370-250 (.597) 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.

Leading 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 is averaging 6.0 ppg, 2.0 apg and 1.7 spg.

More From The Win Over Delaware State
* Manhattan now holds an all-time record of 75-39 in season openers.
* The Jaspers opened the season with a 13-0 run to fuel a wire-to-wire victory over Delaware State.
* Manhattan converted a blistering 78.4 percent (29-of-37) from the line.
* The Jaspers were the 351st team in the Division I ranks to tip.

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

Delaware State Recap
* Greene paced five double-figure scorers in the 85-74 victory over the Hornets, registering a team-high 15 points.
* The Jaspers placed five in double-figures for the first time since an 101-96 double-overtime victory at Marist on January 2, 2018.
* Manhattan forced 25 miscues that led to a 33-14 advantage in points off turnovers, while also registering 16 steals.
 
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 eight 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
* The Jaspers will play at Stony Brook on Monday, December 2 with opening tip tabbed for 7:00 pm.