Hempstead, NY - Manhattan (4-4) concludes non-conference play at Hofstra (8-4) on Sunday, December 22 at 12:00 pm.
Buchanan Getting Buckets
* Sophomore Elijah Buchanan scored a career-high 18 points with six rebounds the last time out and is averaging 16.5 ppg and 6.5 rpg over his last two games.
* He was named the 'Battle of the Bronx' MVP after scoring a then career-high 15 points with seven rebounds in the win over Fordham.
* On the year, he is averaging 9.0 ppg (29th MAAC), 3.8 rpg, 1.8 apg and 1.4 spg.
Roadtrippin
* The Jaspers will play on the road for the sixth time in seven games on Sunday.
Masiello Against Hofstra/CAA
* Head Coach Steve Masiello will be looking for his second road win of the year against a CAA school, having previously won at Elon.
* Masiello is 5-1 against the Pride and 9-5 against CAA schools
* When playing on the road in the CAA, the ninth-year head coach has a 6-1 record.
Under Pressure
* Manhattan is 53-10 (.841) in Masiello's nine years when limiting the opposition to less than 60 points, 44-14 (.759) when notching double-figures in steals and 27-14 (.659) when forcing at least 20 turnovers.
* The Jaspers are among the nation's best with a MAAC-leading 16.0 forced turnovers per game (78th NCAA) and 8.3 steals each time out (70th NCAA), while holding teams to a MAAC-best 39.2 percent clip (66th NCAA) from the floor.
* Thanks to the defensive success, Manhattan has overcome second half double-digit deficits in victories over UAlbany, at Elon and at Fordham.
* Over the last five minutes/OT of 10-point games, the Jaspers are shooting 48.8 percent (20-of-41) from the floor, while limiting the opposition to just 37.8 percent (14-of-37).
* In the season-opening win over Delaware State, Manhattan forced 25 turnovers (3x last- Siena (1/13/18)) and 16 steals (Buffalo (12/21/13)), matching the most by a Masiello-coached team.
Hofstra Capsule
* The Pride enter with a 8-4 record, highlighted by wins at UCLA, Cal Sate Fullerton and at Stony Brook.
* Hofstra is led by the high-powered quartet of Eli Pemberton (16.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg), Desure Buie (16.4 ppg, 5.9 apg), Jalen Ray (13.3 ppg) and Tareq Coburn (11.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg).
* The Jaspers lead the all-time series by a 42-23 count.
Reynolds Sinks Fordham
* Senior Tyler Reynolds' delivered the game-winning shot at Fordham with a corner three-pointer with 4.2 seconds remaining off a pass from sophomore Christian Hinckson.
* Reynolds is averaging 9.2 ppg over his last five games while making good on 41.2 percent (14-of-34) from deep during that time.
Manhattan Claims 112th Battle Of The Bronx
* The Jaspers defeated Fordham 54-53 in overtime to claim the 112th edition of the 'Battle of the Bronx.'
* Over the final 6:30 and overtime, the Jaspers outscored the Rams by a 26-14 count thanks to nine points each from Reynolds and sophomore Samir Stewart during that time.
* Manhattan pulled down a season-high 46 rebounds, which are also the most for the Jaspers since collecting 51 in a 90-88 loss at Marist (1/2/17).
* Senior Pauly Paulicap grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds while adding 10 points in earning his seventh career double-double.
* Hinckson grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds with a personal-best five assists to give the Jaspers two players with double-figures on the glass for the first time since a 51-47 win at Siena (2/2/18).
* The overtime game was the first between the teams since March 1, 1985 when Fordham clipped Manhattan by a 44-42 count.
On The Glass
* The Jaspers have cracked the 40-rebound mark three times this year after failing to do so once a year ago.
Better Late Than Never
* Sophomore Samir Stewart scored nine of his 12 points at Fordham after halftime, highlighted by the game-tying triple in regulation.
* The Sunshine State native is averaging a team-best 9.7 ppg (26th MAAC), 2.0 spg (3rd MAAC), 2.3 triples per game (5th MAAC) and 2.9 apg (13th MAAC).
* Stewart also handed out a career-high matching six assists at URI and has notched a career-high five steals against Delaware State and Samford.
#GoGreene
* Six different Jaspers have paced Manhattan in scoring this year, with sophomore Tykei Greene doing so a team-best three times. On the year, he is averaging 9.3 ppg (28th MAAC) and a team-best 6.8 rpg (6th MAAC).
* Greene led the way at Samford with 13 points and eight rebounds after going for a career-high 17 and a personal-best nine rebounds in the win over UAlbany.
Dynamic Duo
* Stewart and Greene have each hit for double-figures in points a team-best matching five times.
Sophomore Standouts
* Over the first eight games, the sophomore fivesome of Buchanan, Greene, Hinckson, Stewart and Warren Williams have combined to account for 63.3 percent of the offense (38.9 ppg) and 55.1 percent of the rebounding (20.1 rpg).
* Hinckson scored 12 points at Samford with eight rebounds, after going for 10 and eight in the win at Delaware State. On the year, he is averaging 7.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg (10th MAAC) and 1.5 spg (7th MAAC).
* Williams scored a season-high 14 minutes in just 10 minutes at URI to pace four double-digit scorers and most recently had nine points and seven rebounds against Western Michigan.
Block Party
* Paulicap became the fifth Manhattan player with 100 blocks at Stony Brook and has turned away at least two shots five times and leads the MAAC with 1.6 bpg to go along with 8.0 ppg and 5.9 rpg (12th MAAC).
* He swatted a season-high four blocks at URI in registering his 12th career four-block game.
* He is 27 rejections behind Jamal Marshall (129) for fourth place in the all-time annals.
Manhattan Topples Elon
* The Jaspers posted a 69-64 win over the Phoenix, rallying from an early 17-point deficit.
* Masiello picked up his 130th career win and is fourth in the all-time annals.
* After scoring just eight points in the first three games, 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.
* 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 thanks to registering 11 steals.
Second-Half Success
* After halftime this year, the Jaspers are averaging 37.0 ppg while shooting 44.4 percent from the floor, including 35.4 percent from long range, compared to just 24.4 ppg, on 29.0 percent shooting, and 25.2 percent from deep in the opening stanza.
* In the second half of the victory 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 six-plus minutes in the win over the Great Danes, Manhattan posted a dominating 11-2 advantage on the glass, while ending the game on a 14-8 run - including scoring the final seven points of the contest to turn a double-digit second-half deficit into a 57-51 win.
* Greene fueled the comeback win over UAlbany by scoring 10 over the final six-plus minutes.
* This year, Greene is averaging 6.0 ppg after halftime while shooting 42.9 percent (15-of-35) from the field, with Stewart also checking in at 6.0 ppg, on 40.0 percent (12-of-30) shooting, including 37.0 percent (10-27) from deep.
Mas = 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.
* Masiello has led Manhattan to a 131-135 (.492) record, including going 80-72 (.526) during MAAC play, over his nine seasons.
* At Draddy Gymnasium, Masiello holds a sterling 63-39 record (.618) and with five more wins will match Bobby Gonzalez for the most in program history.
* 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 492-281 (.636), including 371-253 (.595) 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.
You Have A Friend In PA
* After starting all 32 games a year ago, junior Mack made his first start of the year against Western Michigan.
* The Pennsylvania native handed out has been a stabilizing force in posting a 2.33 assist/turnover ratio to go along with 4.0 ppg and 2.6 apg (t-14th MAAC).
* Over the last four games, he has a 4.33 assist/turnover ratio highlighted by a career-best six assists, against no turnovers, at URI, and four assists in the win at Fordham.
The Reserves
* Through eight games, Manhattan's bench is averaging 18.4 ppg, and its outscoring its counterparts by 8.5 ppg.
* The bench outscored the starters by a 35-34 count at Elon, while going 10-of-21 (.476) from the floor, 6-of-11 (.545) from deep, and a perfect 9-for-9 from the line.
For Starters
* The Jaspers improved to 75-39, all-time, in season openers with their wire-to-wire 85-74 win over Delaware State.
* Manhattan opened the season with a 13-0 run and converted a blistering 78.4 percent (29-of-37) from the line.
* The Jaspers also registered five double-figure scorers in the win over Delaware State for the first time since an 101-96 double-overtime victory at Marist on January 2, 2018.
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
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 17 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 conclude its nine-game non-conference schedule on Sunday.
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
* Manhattan will open MAAC play at Canisius on Friday, January 3 at 7:00 pm.