Game 15: Manhattan (4-10, 2-2 MAAC) vs. Rider (7-9, 2-2 MAAC)
Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 7 p.m.
Draddy Gymnasium (2,520) - Riverdale, N.Y.
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Scouting Report
Manhattan (4-10, 2-2 MAAC)
The Jaspers have won two of their last three Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference games. Manhattan's most recent win came at Saint Peter's on Friday, defeating the Peacocks 55-53 without injured All-MAAC guards George Beamon (16.8 ppg) and Michael Alvarado (8.4 ppg).
Manhattan returns to Draddy Gymnasium for a two-game homestand. The Jaspers are 2-1 at home this season with double-digit wins coming against Hofstra (Nov. 21) and Siena (Dec. 9). Manhattan has averaged 71.0 points and is shooting 45.6% from the field in its two home wins.
The Jaspers defense has been spectacular at home holding opponents to 53.7 points per game, a 35.6% field goal mark and 26.1% three-point field goal percentage. Manhattan has not allowed more than 56 points by any of its three opponents in Riverdale.
Junior Rhamel Brown has emerged as an elite big man in the MAAC. Brown nearly posted a triple-double against Iona on Sunday going for 16 points, nine rebounds and a career-high seven blocks. The 6'7" forward from Brooklyn also handed out a career-high four assists in 34 minutes of action against the Gaels. Brown has scored in double-figures in the last five games. He is averaging 15.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.6 blocks and 1.8 steals during this stretch.
Manhattan has had several players step up in the absence of Beamon and Alvarado. Freshman forward Shane Richards averaged 11.6 points and 3.0 rebounds in two games last weekend. Richards leads the team with 20 threes, knocking down 15 in the last five games.
In the first three games of 2013, senior guard Mohamed Koita has delivered two double-digit scoring performances. Since the turn of the New Year, Koita is averaging 9.3 points and shooting 50% (8-16) from beyond the arc. Koita leads the MAAC shooting 52% from downtown this season.
Sophomore forward Emmy Andujar is coming off his top performance of the season, going for 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting and eight rebounds at Iona. It was his sixth double-digit scoring effort. Andujar is shooting 46% from the field, only behind Brown's 55.4% shooting percentage that leads the MAAC.
In MAAC games, Manhattan leads the conference with a .734 defensive rebounding percentage. The Jaspers are second in rebounding margin (+4.5) and third in free-throw shooting (72.1%).
Rider (7-9, 2-2 MAAC)
The Broncs snapped a five-game losing streak on Sunday with a 72-53 home victory over Siena. Rider is 2-2 in the conference with both victories coming against the Saints.
Under the direction of first year head coach Kevin Baggett, the Broncs are averaging 65.1 points per game and rank fourth in the MAAC with a 43% field goal percentage.
Rider's veteran backcourt has anchored the Broncs' offensive production this season. Junior guard Anthony Myles leads the team with 12.7 points per game. Myles is Rider's top three-point shooting threat with 28 threes as he has shot 40.6% beyond the arc.
Nurideen Lindsey, a 6'3" transfer from St. John's, has averaged 11.1 points, shooting 45.9% from the field. Senior guard Jonathon Thompson has posted 10.6 points per game and leads Rider with 3.5 assists per game. He has knocked down 20 threes, and he tops Rider with 28 steals.
