2013 MAAC Championship Game
Game 32: #6 Manhattan (14-17) vs. #4 Iona (19-13)
Monday, March 11, 2013 at 9 p.m.
MassMutual Center (7,079) - Springfield, Mass.
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Scouting Report
#6 Manhattan (14-17)
The Jaspers have advanced to the MAAC Championship Game for the seventh time in program history. Manhattan's last title game appearance was in 2004 when the Jaspers captured their third MAAC crown.
Manhattan's suffocating defense powered the team to victories over defending champion Loyola in the Quarterfinals and Fairfield in the Semifinals. The Jaspers have allowed only 47.0 points per game in the MAAC Tournament as the Greyhounds and Stags combined to shoot only 34.1% from the field and 20.8% beyond the arc.
Junior forward Rhamel Brown enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2012-2013, earning All-MAAC Second Team honors and the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year award for the second straight season. The 6'7" co-captain from Brooklyn stepped up for the Jaspers with the absence of senior guard George Beamon who suffered a season ending injury. Beamon was the MAAC's scoring champion in 2011-12, averaging 19.0 points per game, and entered the year as the seventh top returning scorer in the nation.
Brown leads Manhattan, averaging 11.5 points and ranks fourth in the MAAC with 7.3 rebounds per game. For the third straight year, Brown leads the MAAC in blocked shots (94), ranking 10th nationally with 3.03 per game. Brown also led the league with a 55.6% field goal shooting mark during the regular-season. One of the most unique players in conference history, Brown teased triple-doubles on several occasions. He had five double-doubles and had four career-high seven block performances.
Junior co-captain Michael Alvarado and sophomore Emmy Andujar were also key factors in the Jaspers' success in the last five weeks of the season. Alvarado, a 6'2" point guard from the Bronx, returned to the starting line up on Jan. 27, coming back from an ankle injury he suffered on Jan. 1 against Stony Brook. Alvarado started the final 10 games of the regular-season as he helped Manhattan post a 4-1 home record during this span. Alvarado was the second leading scorer in the Jaspers' spread offense with 8.2 points per game.
Andujar, a 6'6" 205-pound point forward from the Bronx, leads Manhattan in assists for the second straight year with 76, going along with a 8.1 scoring average.
Sophomore forward Donovan Kates has emerged as a key threat for the Jaspers. Kates scored in double-figures in six of the last seven MAAC games of the regular-season. He averaged 11.1 points and shot 90.6% (29-32) at the free-throw line during this stretch.
Manhattan placed two first-year players on the MAAC Rookie Team in Shane Richards and RaShawn Stores. Richards was named Co-MAAC Rookie of the Year as he averaged 9.2 points appearing in all 18 MAAC regular-season contests. He finished the regular-season fifth in the league shooting 39.6% beyond the arc and sixth averaging 2.0 threes per contest.
Stores was named MAAC Rookie of the Week three times. He is averaging 5.8 points and dished out 69 assists, playing in all 31 games.
Manhattan has been the top defensive team in conference action. The Jaspers led the MAAC yielding only 57.6 points per game and a 38.1% field goal shooting defense in 18 league games.
#4 Iona (19-13)
Iona is the top offensive team in the MAAC averaging 81.3 points per game. The Gaels high powered offense is led by senior guard Lamont Jones who leads the league with a 23.3 scoring average. Jones is coming off a 17 point, 5-for-17 shooting effort in the Gaels' 79-73 victory over Niagara in the MAAC Tournament Semifinals.
Junior guard Sean Armand is the third leading scorer in the MAAC averaging 16.9 points per game. Armand has a league best 107 three-point field goals shooting 41.3% beyond the arc this season.
Gaels' sophomore forward David Laury had a 20 point, 17 rebound performance against Niagara on Sunday. He is averaging 13.2 points and a team-high 10.6 rebounds per game.
Iona is last in the MAAC yielding 76.3 points per game. The Gaels have also allowed teams to shoot 45.0%, which is also the highest field goal percentage in the league.
