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Bridgeport, CT - Manhattan (8-15; 3-9 MAAC) concludes its three-game road trip at Fairfield (9-10; 4-6 MAAC) on Tuesday, January 31 at 7:00 pm.
TOP STORYLINES
#1 - The Jaspers will be looking for a split in the season series as well as their first win at Harbor Yard since December of 2006.
#2 - Head Coach Steve Masiello earned his 100th career victory against Niagara and is 7-6, all-time, against the Stags.
#3 - In the teams' last meeting, Manhattan turned the ball over a season-low nine times while junior Zane Waterman scored 26 points with eight rebounds.
QUICK HITS
* The last time out at Canisius, freshman Na'Quan Council scored a career-high 14 points while junior Ahmed Ismail added a career-best 10 points with 10 rebounds en route to earning the second Jasper double-double of the year.
* Council is averaging 12.0 ppg and 3.0 spg over the last three games while Ismail is averaging 6.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg and 1.8 bpg the last four times out.
* Manhattan limited Niagara to just 69 points in its most recent victory while forcing 16 turnovers and recording 11 steals in earning the program's first one-point win since besting the Purple Eagles 78-77 on Feb. 9, 2014 .
* The Jaspers are a perfect 6-0 this year when holding teams below 70 points with all eight of their wins coming when turning the opposition over at least 15 times.
* Manhattan also improved to 4-1 when notching double-figures in steals and is now 37-6 under Masiello when hitting the standard.
* Waterman scored just nine points in the win over Niagara but sank the winning free throws before drawing the game-clinching charge with just over four seconds to play.
* Since the start of 2017, the North Carolina native is averaging a team-best 17.7 ppg with 6.1 rpg over 10 games while shooting 49.1 percent (55-112) from the floor and 84.8 percent (56-of-66) from the line while scoring at least 20 points three times.
* Waterman, who scored a career-high 35 points in the win over Rider, ranks among the MAAC leaders in scoring (13.8 ppg-14th), rebounding (6.7 rpg-8th), FG percentage (.498-8th) and FT percentage (.788-9th).
* His 35 markers are also the most scored by a Masiello-coached player and the most by a Jasper since George Beamon had 35 in an 84-81 win over Siena on February 13, 2011.
* Waterman, who has started 50 straight games, also scored 23 at Morgan State and has hit the 20-point plateau four times this year and six in his career.
* Junior Calvin Crawford scored a team-high 18 points against Niagara and averaged 19.0 ppg in two wins over the Purple Eagles this year, highlighted by a season-high 20 in the first meeting.
* Over his last three games, he is averaging 13.0 ppg and 4.0 rpg over his last three games.
* The victory over Niagara was also the first for Manhattan when leading at the break since holding a halftime advantage against Hofstra back in November.
* The Jaspers used ninth different starting line-up against the Purple Eagles with junior Zavier Turner, freshman Aaron Walker Jr., Crawford, Waterman and Ismail earning starts.
* In the win over Rider, Turner scored 23 points as he and Waterman gave Manhattan two 20-point scorers for a second-straight game after Turner and Crawford did so in the first meeting against Niagara.
* Turner then hit for at least 20 points for a fourth-straight game against Iona, finishing with a team-high 20 points and is just 41 points away from 1,000 for his career.
* The Ball State transfer ranks among the MAAC leaders in scoring (15.7 ppg-9th), free throw percentage (.892-2nd), three-point percentage (.425-7th), assists (3.3 apg-9th) and 3's per game (2.0-14th) while scoring at least 20 points eight times this year and on 14 occasions in his career.
* Turner, recorded 26 points in the win over St. Francis Brooklyn, making good on 7-of-9 from long range, after scoring a career-high 32 points at in the victory at Detroit Mercy, including 10 in overtime, to go along with six assists. He also had 30 against Saint Peter's, 28 at Temple and 23 against Quinnipiac.
* In the final five minutes of games/ot, Turner is shooting 46.9 percent (23-of-49) from the floor and 83.7 percent (36-of-43) from the line. In the first win over Niagara, he notched 12 points in the final 3:53 while going 9-of-10 from the line.
* The duo of Turner and Waterman is fifth in the MAAC with 29.5 ppg, including 31.4 ppg during league play.
* Fueled by Turner's production, the seven Manhattan newcomers are averaging a combined 41.3 ppg and 18.0 rpg while accounting for 57.0 percent of the offense and 48.9 percent of the rebounding.
* Council's aforementioned 14-point performance at Canisius comes on the heels of a 13-point outing in the victory at Niagara and a career-high matching five-steal performance against Siena.
* Ismail, who pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds in the win at Detroit Mercy, ranks among the MAAC leaders in rebounding (5.4-18th) and blocks (1.1-11th)
* Senior Tyler Wilson handed out four assists, against just one turnover, against Canisius and recently moved past Jason Wingate into eighth place on the program's all-time assist list and now has 350.
* Wilson notched a season-high 10 points in the first meeting against Fairfield and a season-best five assists in the victory vs. Rider.
* The Bronx native had the momentum-changing three-point play that gave the Jaspers the lead for good in the win over Fordham after drawing the game-clinching charge at Detroit Mercy.
* Walker Jr. scored 14 points with a team-high four assists against Monmouth, fueled by a highlight-reel dunk, has now hit for double-figures 10 times this year en route to averaging 8.4 ppg.
* Walker Jr. earned MAAC Rookie of the Week honors earlier this year after averaging 12.3 ppg and 3.3 rpg over three games during the week ending November 20, highlighted by a career-high 15-point effort against Hofstra.
* Junior Thomas Capuano had 13 points and six rebounds in the first win over Niagara while classmate Samson Usilo narrowly missed his second-straight double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds.
* At Quinnipiac, Usilo had 12 points and 11 rebounds while notching the first Manhattan double-double of the year and was joined in double-figures on the boards by junior Zavier Peart, who added a career-high 10 rebounds.
* Thanks to Usilo and Peart, the Jaspers placed two in double-figures on the boards for the first time since Emmy Andujar (11) and Ashton Pankey (10) did so in a 79-69 win over Iona in the 2015 MAAC Championship on March 9, 2015.
* Usilo, who scored 11 points against Siena, is averaging 7.1 ppg and 6.1 rpg over the last seven games after notching just 2.2 ppg and 2.6 rpg over his first 15 games.
* Capuano scored a career-high 18 points at Morgan State to go along with five rebounds, four assists and four steals.
* Sophomore Ak Ojo scored a career-best nine points in the win over Detroit Mercy before grabbing a personal-best seven rebounds against Fairfield.
* Manhattan concluded non-conference play with a 27-point come-from-behind victory over EKU thanks to recording a season-high 13 steals.
* The 13 thefts are the most since recording 13 in a win over Quinnipiac on March 1, 2015 while the 27-point margin of victory was the third-highest in Masiello's six years on campus.
* Over the last three-plus years, the Jaspers are 26-3 when recording double-figures in steals and 37-6 since Masiello took over prior to the 2011-2012 season.
* Manhattan has won the rebounding battle in 15 of its 23 games while ranking second in the MAAC in rebounding margin (+2.7) and rebounding defense (34.9) while registering at least 40 on seven occasions with a high-water mark of 51 at Marist, including 21 offensive caroms.
* The 51 rebounds are the most since registering the same number in a season-opening 99-90 victory at La Salle on November 9, 2013.
* The Jaspers are 3-0 this year when limiting teams to less than 60 points (EKU (54), SFBK (54) & Fordham (53) and 38-4 under Masiello.
* Manhattan opened the second half against EKU on a 23-5 run, including 12-straight at one point after ripping off a 13-4 run to start the second half against SFBK.
* The Jaspers finished non-conference play with a 5-6 record with their six losses coming to teams that have a combined 88-41 record (.682), including games against Florida State and WVU, both of whom are ranked in the top-20.
* Masiello has led Manhattan to a 100-86 (.538) record, including going 61-47 (.565) during MAAC play and 47-24 (.662) at Draddy Gym over his six seasons with three MAAC Title Game appearances, three postseason berths, two Metropolitan Coach of the Year honors and two 20-win campaigns.
* Masiello has participated in the NCAA Tournament in 13 of his 20 seasons as a player or coach, including being a part of eight conference champions and one National Title.
* Since returning to Riverdale, Masiello has guided the Jaspers to a pair of MAAC Titles as well as a pair of 20-plus win campaigns. In his first tenure, he was a part of two MAAC Titles and three 20-plus win seasons. All told, Masiello has been a member of four of Manhattan's five MAAC Championship teams and five of the school's 12 20-win seasons in recording a 183-122 record.
* In his 21st season as either a player or a coach, Masiello has a career collegiate record of 463-232, including 342-204 on the sidelines, with one National Title, two National Championship Game appearances, two Final Fours, six Elite Eight berths, eight conference championships, 13 NCAA Tournament appearances and 15 20-win seasons.
* Manhattan will next host Marist on Saturday, February 4 with opening tip tabbed for 7:00 pm.
