Manhattan Returns Home To Host Rider

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Riverdale, NY - Manhattan (8-8; 4-3 MAAC) returns home to host Rider (10-8; 4-4 MAAC) on Sunday, January 26 at 2:00 pm.
 
The Masiello Files
* Over his nine years in Riverdale, Head Coach Steve Masiello is 54-10 (.844) when limiting teams to less than 60 points, 44-14 (.759) when notching double-figures in steals and 27-14 (.659) when forcing at least 20 turnovers. 

Rider Series History
* Rider leads the all-time series by a 30-24 count.
* The Jaspers have split their last eight meetings at home against the Broncs, with the last five games being decided by eight points or less.

Manhattan-Niagara Flexed To ESPNU
* Manhattan will host Niagara on Friday, February 7 at 7:00 pm in a match-up that will now air on ESPNU as part of the MAAC Wildcard Game package.

Reynolds Goes Off At Marist
* Senior Tyler Reynolds scored a career-high matching 23 points the last time out at Marist.
* Reynolds, who went 7-for-13 from deep on Wednesday, matched his previous high of 23 set in last year's win over Rider.
* His seven triples are tied for the second most in program history, with the feat happening six previous times (last: Zavier Turner vs. SFBK (12/20/16).
* Over his previous six games, Reynolds is averaging 12.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 2.1 apg, while making good on 38.2 percent (21-of-55) from distance.???????
* Reynolds fueled Manhattan's win over Siena with 16 points, on the strength of four three pointers, and provided the heroics in the win over Fordham as his three pointer with 4.2 seconds to play proved to be the winner. 

W Squared
* Sophomore Warren Williams notched double-figures in scoring for the second-straight game with 14 points at Marist, after netting 12 vs. Monmouth.
* In MAAC play he is shooting 63.8 percent (30-of-47), including 72.2 percent (13-of-18) after halftime.
 Williams had 16 in the win at Canisius before going for 19 at Fairfield, and is averaging 7.8 ppg, while ranking third in the MAAC in field goal percentage (.563).

#GoGreene
* Classmate Tykei Greene rounded out the double-digit scorers at Marist with 11 points, and is averaging 14.2 ppg over his last five games.

Double-Digit Success
* Sophomore guard Samir Stewart has notched double-figures in points on eight occasions this year and 14 for his career, with Manhattan going 13-1 (7-1 in 2019-20) when he scores at least 10 points.
* Stewart is averaging 11.8 ppg over his last four games, making good on 43.3 percent (13-of-30) from the floor, including 39.1 percent (9-of-23) from deep.???????
* The Sunshine State native is averaging 9.3 ppg (30th MAAC), 2.9 apg (9th MAAC), 1.3 spg (10th MAAC) and 1.9 triples per game (11th MAAC).

Tykei Named MAAC POTW
* Greene was named MAAC Player of the Week after averaging 17.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg over Manhattan's Western New York swing, highlighted by a game-high 21 at Niagara.
* The sophomore guard made good on 42.9 percent (9-of-21) from the floor, including 55.6 percent (5-of-9) from deep, and 73.3 percent (11-of-15) from the line .
* He began the week with 13 points and seven rebounds in victory at Canisius, before scoring 16 of his game-high 21 points at Niagara in the first half. 

Sophomore Uprising
* Through 16 games, the sophomore fivesome of Elijah Buchanan, Greene, Christian Hinckson, Stewart and Williams have combined to account for 63.4 percent of Manhattan's offense (40.4 ppg) and 51.1 percent of the rebounding (17.8 rpg).
* Stewart scored a season-high 20 points in the win over Quinnipiac, as the sophomores finished with 48 points, after hitting for 45 points, on 69.6 percent (16-of-23) shooting, in the victory against Siena.
* The sophomores had a season-high 58 points in the win over Canisius, while shooting a blistering 64.5 percent (20-of-31).
* Led by the sophomores, the Jaspers converted on 55.3 percent (26-of-47) from the floor at Canisius, including a blistering 64.3 percent (9-of-14) after halftime.
 
* Hinckson narrowly missed the first triple-double in Manhattan history, finishing with nine points, eight rebounds and a career-high nine assists against Quinnipiac, as the Jaspers registered a season-high 22 assists.
* He previously scored a season-high 14 points in the win over Siena, after grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds with five assists and in the win over Fordham. On the year, he is averaging 7.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg (13th MAAC), 1.5 spg (t-5th MAAC) and 2.4 bpg (15th MAAC).
* Buchanan scored 12 of his 16 points against Monmouth after halftime, while grabbing a career-high matching eight rebounds, and is averaging 10.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 2.5 apg over his last four games.
* After halftime during MAAC play, he is converting on 60.0 percent (15-of-25) from the floor.
* Buchanan scored a career-high 18 points against Western Michigan, after collecting 15 points with seven rebounds in the victory at Fordham in collecting 'Battle of the Bronx' MVP honors and is averaging 8.6 ppg and 3.8 rpg.

Pauly Being Pauly
* Senior Pauly Paulicap notched a season-high 16 points with seven rebounds at Niagara and his seventh career double-double with 10 points and a season-high 11 rebounds in the win over Fordham.
* Paulicap swatted two shots against Monmouth and has blocked at least two shots on six occasions this year, including a season-high four at URI, after becoming the fifth member of the 100-block club at Stony Brook. His rejection against Hofstra also was cited as the No. 4 play for December 22 on SportsCenter.
* On the year he is averaging 9.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg (9th MAAC) and 1.3 bpg (4th MAAC), while making good on 44.9 percent (14th MAAC) from the floor.
* His 109 career blocks are just 20 behind Jamal Marshall '95 for fourth place in the all-time annals.

The Stabilizing Force
* Junior Nehemiah Mack has stabilized the Jaspers' second unit this year, posting a 3.38 assist/turnover ratio, including 7.0 (21 assists/three turnovers) during MAAC play, with 3.4 ppg and 2.8 apg (10th MAAC). 
* Over the last 12 games, he has a 5.14 assist/turnover ratio, highlighted by a career-best six assists, against no turnovers, at URI. 

Getting Defensive
* Manhattan is among the nation's best on defense in turnovers forced (15.6-59th NCAA), scoring defense (64.7-72nd NCAA), field goal percentage defense (.402-72nd NCAA) and turnover margin (1.9-73rd NCAA).
* Thanks to the defensive success, the Jaspers have overcome second half double-digit deficits in victories over UAlbany, at Elon and at Fordham, the last of which was fueled by a game-ending 26-14 spurt over the final 6:30 and overtime.
* Over the last five minutes/OT of 10-point games, Manhattan is shooting 41.3 percent (26-of-63) from the floor, while limiting the opposition to 37.1 percent (26-of-70).
* In the season-opening win over Delaware State, the Jaspers forced 25 turnovers (3x last- Siena (1/13/18)) and 16 steals (Buffalo (12/21/13)), matching the most by a Masiello-coached team.

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.
 
* Manhattan outscored Elon 61-39 over the final 27-plus minutes and scored on 13 of its last 15 possessions.

Second-Half Success
* After halftime this year, the Jaspers are averaging 34.5 ppg while shooting 43.4 percent from the floor, including 36.2 percent from long range, compared to just 29.3 ppg, on 36.4 percent shooting, and 29.8 percent from deep in the opening stanza.
* In the comeback win over UAlbany, Manhattan posted a dominating 11-2 advantage on the glass over the final six-plus minutes and ended the game on a 14-8 run - including scoring the final seven points of the contest.
* Greene fueled the comeback win over the Great Danes by scoring 10 of his 17 points over the final six-plus minutes, to go along with a career-best nine rebounds.

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 135-139 (.493) record, including going 84-75 (.528) during MAAC play, over his nine seasons.
* At Draddy Gymnasium, Masiello holds a sterling 65-40 record (.621) and with three 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 496-285 (.635), including 375-257 (.593) 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.

The Reserves
* Through 16 games, Manhattan's bench is averaging 18.3 ppg, and is outscoring its counterparts by 3.9 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.

Rider Notes
* The Broncs enter Sunday's game with a 10-8 record, including 4-4 during league play, and most recently bested Saint Peter's by a 70-66 count.
* Dimencio Vaughn is leading the way for Rider with 14.1 ppg to go along with 6.7 rpg.
* Tyere Marshall (13.2 ppg, 7.9 rpg), Frederick Scott (12.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg) and Stevie Jordan (12.2 ppg, 4.1 apg)

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 35 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.

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 play at Saint Peter's on Friday, January 31 at 7:00 pm.