2013 MAAC Tournament Quarterfinals
Game 30: #6 Manhattan (12-17, 9-9) vs. #3 Loyola (21-10, 12-6)
Saturday, March 9, 2013 at 9:30 p.m.
MassMutual Center (7,079) - Springfield, Mass.
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Scouting Report
#6 Manhattan (12-17, 9-9 MAAC)
The Jaspers enter the 2013 MAAC Tournament as one of the hottest teams in the conference going 7-3 in the last 10 games of the regular-season. Manhattan held a season-best four game win streak from Feb. 3 - 15, which included a 22-point victory at Fairfield and a thrilling double-overtime triumph against Iona.
Junior forward Rhamel Brown enjoyed a breakout campaign, earning All-MAAC Second Team honors. 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 led Manhattan, averaging 11.7 points and ranked fifth in the MAAC with 7.1 rebounds per game. For the third straight year, Brown led the MAAC in blocked shots (88), ranking 10th nationally with 3.03 per game. Brown also led the league with a 55.6% field goal shooting mark. 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 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, led Manhattan in assists for the second straight year with 72, going along with a 7.8 scoring average.
Sophomore forward Donovan Kates has emerged as a key threat for the Jaspers. Kates has scored in double-figures in six of the last seven MAAC games. He is averaging 11.1 points and shooting 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 averaged 9.2 points appearing in all 18 MAAC 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 averaged 5.7 points and dished out 67 assists, playing in all 29 games.
Manhattan has been the top defensive team in conference action. The Jaspers lead the MAAC yielding only 57.6 points per game and a 38.1% field goal shooting defense.
#3 Loyola (21-10, 12-6 MAAC)
The Greyhounds won four of the last five games of the regular-season, including a 63-61 win over Manhattan on March 3 in Baltimore. Erik Etherly led the charge against the Jaspers with a career-high 30 points.
Junior guard Dylon Cormier is the Greyhounds' leading scorer with 16.6 points per game. Cormier is the fifth leading scorer in the MAAC. The Baltimore native has handed out a team-high 74 assists this season.
Etherly, a 6'7" 225-pound graduate student, has posted 16.2 points per game. He is tied with Anthony Winbush averaging 6.3 rebounds.
Senior guard Robert Olson is the third Greyhound averaging double-figures with a 12.9 scoring average. He is the only Loyola player to start all 31 games this season. Olson has knocked down a team-high 64 three-pointers, which are the fifth most in the MAAC.
Loyola is one of the better defensive teams in the league yielding 63.7 points per game. The Greyhounds lead the MAAC with 4.5 blocks per contest and rank second with 7.3 steals.
