Game 24: Manhattan (8-15, 6-7 MAAC) vs. Fairfield (15-10, 7-6 MAAC)
Tuesday, February 12, 2013 at 7 p.m.
Alumni Hall (2,479) - Fairfield, Conn.
Scouting Report
Manhattan (8-15, 6-7 MAAC)
Manhattan earned its third victory in four games and picked up its second consecutive win Thursday with a 67-54 triumph over Canisius. The Jaspers delivered an impressive all-around performance shooting a season-high 54.8% from the field, while holding Canisius nearly 20 points below their season scoring average.
Sophomore Donovan Kates posted his second straight double-digit scoring performance finishing with a team-high 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting. Kates knocked down two three-pointers. The 6'6" forward from Hopkinsville, Ky. averaged 12.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in the Jaspers' last two wins.
Jaspers' forward Rhamel Brown has been a force in the paint over the last four games averaging 14.3 points shooting 63.2% from the field and posting 4.5 blocks per contest. Brown has delivered 15 double-digit scoring performances this season, including a 13 point outing against Canisius where he went 6-for-6 from the field. The 6'7" forward from Brooklyn is one block away from tying Steve Grant (1974-78, 220) for the program's career record. Brown ranks 14th nationally with 2.91 blocks per game. He leads the MAAC with a 57.5% field goal percentage and he is fifth with 6.7 rebounds per game.
The Jaspers have relied on the solid play of junior point guard Michael Alvarado, as of late. Alvarado returned to the starting line up against Rider on Jan. 27 for the first time since going down with an ankle injury against Stony Brook (Jan. 1). Starting in the last four games, Alvarado has averaged 9.8 points, 4.0 assists, 1.5 steals and he is shooting 91.3% (21-23) from the free-throw line. He is fourth in the league shooting 82.8% at the line on the season.
Manhattan is one of the top defensive teams in the MAAC holding conference opponents to 59.2 points and a 39.4% field goal percentage. The Jaspers have held their last six opponents below 40% shooting. Manhattan has also kept 12 of 13 MAAC opponents below 70 points.
Fairfield (15-10, 7-6 MAAC)
The Stags rival Manhattan as one of the top defensive teams in the league. Fairfield leads the MAAC yielding 58.6 points to league opponents and a 39.3% field goal defense.
Fairfield enters the contest riding a five game win streak with three of these games played on their home court at Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn. The Stags are led by senior guard Derek Needham who is ninth in the conference averaging 14.5 points. Needham and Desmond Wade are one of the top backcourts in the MAAC as they both rank in the top-10 on the conference's assist list. Wade is fourth with 3.8 assists per game, while Needham is ninth with 3.4.
Junior Maurice Barrow has come off the bench in all 13 MAAC games for the Stags. The 6'5", 210-pound forward from Christ the King High School in Queens averaged 11.6 points and 5.2 rebounds against league opponents. He is also shooting a team-high 56.0% from the field in MAAC games.
Fairfield is in sixth place in the MAAC standings, only one game ahead of Manhattan.
