Game 10: Manhattan (3-6) vs. South Carolina (7-3)
Saturday, December 22, 2012 at 5:30 p.m.
Barclays Center (17,732) - Brooklyn, N.Y.
BROOKLYN HOOPSTM Holiday Invitational
Live Video Available at BarclaysCenter.com
Scouting Report
Manhattan (3-6)
The Jaspers will play the third of five straight games in New York City when they return to Brooklyn for a debut at the new Barclays Center as part of the Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational. Manhattan is 3-1 when playing within the city's five boroughs this season, which includes home wins against Hofstra and Siena, along with a road victory at Fordham.
Manhattan is coming off a 75-48 setback at LIU Brooklyn Sunday. The Jaspers were without senior guard George Beamon, a two-time All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference selection and the league's 2011-12 scoring champion (19.0 ppg), who missed his fifth game with an injury.
Sophomore Emmy Andujar led the Jaspers' in scoring for the second time this season posting 12 points against the Blackbirds. The 6'6", 205-pound forward from the Bronx has started eight of nine appearances. In his last two starts, Andujar has averaged 11.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and is shooting 50% (9-18).
Michael Alvarado has been the Jaspers' leading scorer in Beamon's absence. The junior point guard has posted 11.2 points per game and is seventh in the MAAC with a 82.4% free-throw mark. Alvarado has recorded double-figures in six of nine appearances this season.
The Jaspers top inside threat has been the MAAC's reigning Defensive Player of the Year Rhamel Brown. Brown currently leads the conference with a 58.5% field goal percentage, 1.8 blocks per game, and he is seventh in rebounding (6.0 rpg).
Manhattan's last victory came on Dec. 9, defeating Siena 75-55 at Draddy Gymnasium. It was the Jaspers top all-around performance of the season. The Jaspers set season-highs against the Saints in scoring (75), field goal percentage (45.8%) and margin of victory (20). Brown led the way with a career-high 21 points on 9-for-12 shooting.
South Carolina (7-3)
Gamecocks' head coach Frank Martin has guided South Carolina to seven wins in his first 10 games on the job. South Carolina has won five times at home, including its last two victories over Jacksonville (Dec. 7) and Appalachian State (Dec. 19) at Colonial Life Arena.
South Carolina has posted 74.3 points per game with three players averaging double-figures. Brenton Williams, a 5'11" 175-pound junior guard from Kissimmee, Fla., is leading the team with 13.0 points per game. Williams shoots 56.2% from the field and harbors a 85.7% free-throw mark.
Senior LaShay Page has helped Williams power the South Carolina backcourt. The transfer from Southern Mississippi has started nine games and averages 11.7 points per contest.
South Carolina entered the week ranked 11th nationally in rebounding margin and currently holds a +9.4 advantage on the glass. The Gamecocks have outrebounded nine of 10 opponents this season. Freshman forward Michael Carrera (7.3 rpg, 10.0 ppg) and senior forward Lakeem Jackson (7.6 rpg) have combined for one third of the team's total rebounds.
The Gamecocks are coming off a 74-69 victory over Appalachian State Wednesday. Jackson led the way with a game-high 16 points on 8-for-11 shooting. Mindaugas Kacinas, a 6'7" 210-pound freshman from Lithuania, finished with a double-double (12 points, 12 rebounds).
About Barclays Center
Barclays Center opened on September 28, 2012, and is a major sports and entertainment venue in the heart of Brooklyn, New York. Developed by Brooklyn-based real estate developer Forest City Ratner Companies, and designed by the award-winning architectural firms AECOM (www.aecom.com/architecture) and SHoP Architects (www.shoparc.com), Barclays Center has one of the most intimate seating configurations ever designed into a modern multi-purpose arena, with unparalleled sightlines and first-class amenities. Barclays Center offers approximately 18,000 seats for basketball and up to 19,000 seats for concerts, and has 101 luxury suites, four bars/lounges, four clubs, and 40/40 CLUB & Restaurant by American Express.
Located atop one of the largest transportation hubs in New York City, Barclays Center is accessible by 11 subway lines, the Long Island Rail Road, and 11 bus lines.
For more information on Barclays Center, please visit www.barclayscenter.com.
