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New Rochelle, NY - Manhattan (11-10; 7-5 MAAC) will be attempting a sweep of Iona (7-12; 5-7 MAAC) for the first time since 2006-07 on Friday, February 14 at 7:00 pm.
In The First Meeting ...
* The Jaspers bested the Gaels 72-49 in the first meeting, thanks to outscoring Iona by 25 points after halftime and posting a 44-27 advantage on the glass.
* Manhattan limited Iona to 49 points, which represents the least allowed by Manhattan and fewest scored by the Gaels this year.
* The 23-point victory over Iona is the Jaspers' biggest win since an 81-54 decision over Eastern Kentucky on December 22, 2016.
* Junior
Nehemiah Mack scored a season-high 15 points, on the strength of a career-best five three pointers, while sophomore
Christian Hinckson added 12 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals.
With A Win Over The Gaels The Jaspers Would ...
* Stretch their winning streak to four games.
* Would be victorious in the Hynes Center for the first time since January 12, 2012, while snapping a six-game road skid to the Gaels.
* Go undefeated against local rivals Fordham and Iona during the regular season for the first time since the 2005-06 campaign.
Manhattan Celebrates 1994-95 Team
* Members of the 1994-95 Manhattan Men's Basketball team that won a school-record 26 games, earned the first-ever MAAC at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament and defeated nationally ranked Oklahoma were recognized at halftime of the Jaspers' win over Niagara.
* Former Head Coach and current ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla, players and other staff members of one of the best teams in league history were on hand for the event, which bridged over eight decades of Jaspers.
The Keystone Kid
* Mack is averaging 9.7 ppg over his last three games, while shooting 64.3 percent (9-of-14) from deep.
* The Pennsylvania native also hit a pair of huge free throws in the final 30 seconds of Sunday's victory at Quinnipiac,
* Fueled by his big performance in the first meeting vs. Iona, Mack is shooting 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from deep over his career against the Gaels.
* He has a 3.79 assist/turnover ratio, including 7.5 (30/4) during MAAC play, with 4.1 ppg and 2.5 apg (t-15th MAAC).
* Over the last 17 games, Mack has a 5.63 assist/turnover ratio (45/8), highlighted by a career-best six assists, against no turnovers, at URI.
#GoGreene
* Sophomore
Tykei Greene hit the winning layup with 1.7 seconds to play in Manhattan's thrilling 65-63 victory at Quinnipiac.
Dynamic Duo
* Senior
Pauly Paulicap finished with a team-best 15 points and eight rebounds at Quinnipiac, while sophomore
Warren Williams added 14 points.
* Manhattan defeated Niagara 77-59, thanks to 34 points and 16 rebounds from Paulicap and Williams.
* The duo of Paulicap and Williams is averaging 21.8 ppg and 10.9 rpg during league play, while shooting 55.0 percent.
Getting Defensive With Masiello
* Manhattan turned Quinnipiac over a season-high matching 25 times (4x last vs. Delaware State), which also match the most forced in
Steve Masiello's nine years in Riverdale.
* The Jaspers also registered 15 steals against the Bobcats, and are 45-14 (.762) when notching double-figures in steals and 28-14 (.667) when forcing at least 20 turnovers.
* After Friday's 77-59 victory over Niagara, Masiello also moved to 56-10 (.848) when limiting teams to less than 60 points.
Along Came Pauly
* Paulicap scored a season-high 20 points at Niagara while eclipsing the 20-point mark for the second time in his career, and is averaging 13.4 ppg, 8.6 rpg and 2.4 bpg over his last five games.
* He also appeared on
SportsCenter for the for the second time this year on February 10, turning up at No. 6 after his block at Quinnipiac, and was previously cited with the No. 4 play for the December 22 for a rejection against Hofstra. He continues to rank fifth in school history with 123 career blocks, just six behind Jamal Marshall.
* Paulicap notched his second double-double and the eighth of his career against Rider, finishing with a season-high 18 points and 11 rebounds, while adding five blocks.
* The Harcum College transfer has swatted at least five shots seven times in his career, and is second in the MAAC with 1.6 bpg, while pacing the team with 10.0 ppg (26th MAAC) and a team-best 6.5 rpg (5th MAAC). He is also averaging 9.8 ppg and 10.5 rpg over four match-ups against the Gaels.
Nationally
* Manhattan is 40th nationally in field goal percentage defense with a MAAC-best .397, and ranks among the nation's best in turnovers forced (15.8-42nd NCAA), scoring defense (64.0 ppg-43rd), turnover margin (1.8-68th), steals (7.4 spg-87th) and blocks (3.8 bpg-87th).
Second-Year Uprising
* Through 21 games, the sophomore fivesome of
Elijah Buchanan, Greene, Hinckson,
Samir Stewart and Williams have combined to account for 62.5 percent of Manhattan's offense (40.2 ppg) and 49.4 percent of the rebounding (17.7 rpg).
* 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 sophomore class, 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.
Tykei Named MAAC POTW
* Greene was named MAAC Player of the Week after averaging 17.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg over the Jaspers' Western New York sweep.
* 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.
More Sophomores
* Greene scored a career-high 25 points at Hofstra, on 10-of-17 shooting (5-for-5, 3pt), and is averaging 9.9 ppg (27th MAAC) and 4.8 rpg (19th MAAC).
* Williams had a season-high 19 points at Fairfield, and checks in with an 8.7 ppg average while ranking third in the MAAC in field goal percentage (.580).
* Over his last seven games, he is averaging 11.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg and 1.4 bpg while shooting 65.1 percent (28-of-43) from the field.
* Stewart scored a season-high 20 points in the first win over Quinnipiac, before notching 17 points with a career-high seven assists vs. Rider.
* He is averaging 9.2 ppg, 3.1 apg (10th MAAC), 1.3 spg (t-10th MAAC) and 1.9 triples per game (11th MAAC) while posting a 1.7 assist/turnover ratio (6th MAAC).
* Buchanan hit for a career-high 18 points against Western Michigan, and scored 15 points with seven rebounds in the victory at Fordham in collecting 'Battle of the Bronx' MVP honors.
Reynolds Goes Off At Marist
* Senior
Tyler Reynolds, scored a career-high matching 23 points at Marist, on 7-of-13 shooting from deep.
* 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).
* Reynolds fueled the win over Siena with 16 points, on the strength of four three pointers, after draining the game-winning three pointer at Fordham with 4.2 seconds to play.
20/20 Vision
* Greene, Paulicap, Reynolds and Stewart have all scored at least 20 points this year.???????
Getting Defensive
* Thanks to the defensive success, the Jaspers have 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 43.8 percent (39-of-89) from the floor, while limiting the opposition to 36.1 percent (35-of-97).
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 35.3 ppg while shooting 43.6 percent from the floor, including 35.2 percent from long range, compared to just 29.0 ppg, on 36.3 percent shooting, and 28.7 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 138-141 (.495) record, including going 87-77 (.530) during MAAC play, over his nine seasons.
* At Draddy Gymnasium, Masiello holds a sterling 67-41 record (.620) and with one more win 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 499-287 (.635), including 379-259 (.594) 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.
Iona Notes
* Since dropping a 23-point decision to Manhattan, the Gaels have won two-straight games by an average of 22.5 ppg.
* Reigning MAAC Player of the Week E.J. Crawford is averaging a league-best 17.6 ppg with 4.9 rpg.
* Tajuan Agee checks in with 13.6 ppg and 7.6 rpg, while Isaiah Washington (10.4 ppg) and Isaiah Ross (10.3 ppg) round out the double-digit scorers for Iona.
For Starters
* The Jaspers improved to 75-39, all-time, in season openers thanks to a season-opening 13-0 spurt and five double-digit scorers in an 85-74 wire-to-wire win over Delaware State.
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 49 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.
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 Siena on Sunday, February 16 at 2:00 pm.
