Game 18: Manhattan (5-12, 3-4 MAAC) vs. Niagara (10-8, 6-1 MAAC)
Saturday, January 19, 2013 at 3 p.m.
'Taps' Gallagher Center (2,400) - Niagara, Univ., N.Y.
Scouting Report
Manhattan (5-12, 3-4 MAAC)
The Jaspers split their last two MAAC contests defeating Marist (Jan. 13) by 12 points at Draddy Gymnasium before being edged at Canisius 64-60 on Thursday. Manhattan looks for its second road victory in conference play this season.
Junior Rhamel Brown scored in double-figures for the eighth straight game Thursday at Canisius. Brown leads Manhattan with 11 double-digit scoring efforts this season. The 6'7" forward from Brooklyn leads the MAAC in field goal percentage (56.1%) and blocked shots (2.7 bpg). Brown is two blocks away from becoming only the second player in Manhattan basketball history to swat 200 shots over his career. He would join Steve Grant (1974-78) who holds the program record with 220 blocks.
Shane Richards has emerged as one of the top shooters in the MAAC. Richards scored a career-high 18 points with six three-pointers for the third time this season against Canisius. It was third time in the last five games that Richards led Manhattan in scoring. Since earning his first career start on Dec. 7 at Marist, Richards has averaged 10.6 points with 34 three-pointers. He has shot 41% from beyond the arc during this 11 game stretch.
All-MAAC junior point guard Michael Alvarado returned to action on Jan. 13 after missing three games with an ankle injury. Alvarado exploded for a team-high 18 points at Canisius on Thursday, scoring 14 points in the second half. He gave Manhattan an efficient 31 minutes coming off the bench. Alvarado is the Jaspers' top free-throw shooter with a 82.3% mark at the charity stripe.
Manhattan ranks fourth in the MAAC for scoring defense, yielding only 62.0 points per game to league opponents. The Jaspers rank third with 4.6 blocks per game and a 6.6 three-point field goal per game average in MAAC contests.
Niagara (10-8, 6-1 MAAC)
The Purple Eagles have won five of their last six games and six straight MAAC games since losing the conference opener at Iona on Nov. 28. Niagara is led by sophomore guards Antoine Mason (18.6 ppg) and Juan'ya Green (16.7 ppg) who both rank in the top-10 on the MAAC's scoring list.
Niagara averages 74.8 points per game, which is the second highest scoring average in the MAAC. The Purple Eagles are one of the best rebounding teams in the league averaging 35.3 boards per contest. Ameen Tanksley, a 6'6" guard from Philadelphia, leads Niagara with 5.8 rebounds per contest. Tanksley has started all 18 games with Mason and Green, and he has a 10.5 scoring average.
Niagara extended its win streak to three games on Thursday with an 87-64 victory over Siena. The Purple Eagles used a 27-7 run in the second half to roll past the Saints. Mason scored a game-high 23 points, while Green posted 21 points with four of the Purple Eagles' 12 three-point field goals.
