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Riverdale, NY - Manhattan (9-16; 4-10 MAAC) hosts league-leading Monmouth (20-5; 12-2 MAAC) on Friday, February 10 at 9:00 pm in an ESPNU-tilt.
TOP STORYLINES
#1 - Fresh off a 68-67 win over Marist, the Jaspers are 39-23 (.629) in the months of February/March since Steve Masiello took over prior to the 2011-2012 season, including 29-16 (.619) in February.
#2 - Manhattan leads the all-time series by an 8-4 count, including a perfect 5-0 at Draddy Gymnasium.
#3 - Since Monmouth moved to the MAAC prior for the 2013-2014 campaign, the Jaspers have won all three meetings at Draddy by less than 10 points (7, 7, 9).
#4 - Prior to the game, the Athletics Department will be giving away 212 Degrees UnderArmour® t-shirt prior to the game. Click HERE for more information.
#5 - At halftime, the Manhattan College Pipes & Drums ensamble will play. Click HERE for more information.
QUICK HITS
* All-time, Masiello is 5-2 against Monmouth and 48-24 at home.
* Thanks to their second one-point victory of the year (Marist), Manhattan improved to a perfect 7-0 when limiting the opposition to less than 70 points.
* It was also Jaspers' first win when trailing with five minutes to play this season (1-14) and when failing to turn the opposition over at least 15 times.
* Manhattan is now 7-4 in games decided by 10 points or less, 4-3 in five-point games and 2-1 decisions.
* Junior Zane Waterman scored 14 of his 22 points after halftime in the victory over Marist, highlighted by the game-winning three pointer with 5.6 seconds to play.
* Waterman, who also scored the game-winning free throws in the one-point victory at Niagara has five 20-point games this year and seven for his career.
* In the most recent match-up with Monmouth, the North Carolina native scored a game-high 28 points and is averaging 15.7 ppg and 5.7 rpg in the teams' last three meetings.
* Since the start of 2017, Waterman is averaging a team-best 16.9 ppg with 6.0 rpg over 12 games while shooting 47.3 percent from the floor and 82.1 percent from the line while scoring at least 20 points four times.
* Waterman, who scored a career-high 35 points in the win over Rider, ranks among the MAAC leaders in scoring (13.7 ppg-16th), rebounding (6.6 rpg-10th), FG % (.487-11th) and FT % (.775-13th).
* His 35 markers are also the most scored by a Masiello-coached player and the most by a Jasper since George Beamon, '14 had 35 in an 84-81 win over Siena on February 13, 2011.
* Waterman, who has started 52 straight games, also has hit the 20-point mark this year against Fairfield (26) and at Morgan State (23).
* Junior Zavier Turner delivered the game-winning assist to Waterman in the victory over Marist and finished up with 12 points and six assists, against one turnover.
* In the win over Rider, he and Waterman gave Manhattan two 20-point scorers for a second-straight game after Turner and junior Calvin Crawford did so in the first win over 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 18 points away from 1,000 for his career.
* The duo of Turner and Waterman is eighth in the MAAC with 29.1 ppg, including 30.4 ppg during league play.
* The Ball State transfer ranks among the MAAC leaders in scoring (15.4 ppg-10th), free throw percentage (.903-2nd), three-point percentage (.404-10th) and assists (3.4 apg-9th) 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 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 43.6 percent (24-of-55) from the floor and 85.7 percent (42-of-49) 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.
* Fueled by Turner's production, the seven Jasper newcomers are averaging a combined 40.6 ppg and 18.0 rpg while accounting for 56.8 percent of the offense and 48.7 percent of the rebounding.
* Crawford notched 20 points in each match-up with Monmouth a year ago and is averaging 15.3 ppg and 5.0 rpg during that time while shooting 62.1 percent (18-of-29) from the floor.
* He is averaging 8.7 ppg, including 10.8 ppg over his last five games, and has notched double-figures in scoring on 10 occasions.
* Crawford scored a team-high 18 points in the victory at Niagara after notching 20 in the first win.
* Freshman Na'Quan Council paced the squad in scoring for the second-straight game with 11 points at Fairfield after scoring a career-high 14 points at Canisius.
* Council also hit for 13 points in the win over Niagara and is averaging 10.2 ppg and 2.2 spg over his last five games.
* Junior Ahmed Ismail scored a career-best 10 points at Canisius with 10 rebounds en route to earning the second Jasper double-double of the year
* Ismail is averaging 4.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg (18th MAAC) and 1.2 bpg (9th MAAC) and has seen those numbers spike to 5.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 1.8 bpg over the last six games.
* Manhattan limited Niagara to just 69 points in securing the season sweep while forcing 16 turnovers and recording 11 steals.
* Manhattan also improved to 4-1 when notching double-figures in steals and is now 37-6 under Masiello when hitting the standard.
* The Jaspers used their 11th different starting line-up in the win over Marist with Turner, sophomore Thomas Capuano, Crawford, Waterman and Ismail garnering starts.
* Senior Tyler Wilson handed out four assists, against just one turnover, against Canisius and recently moved past Jason Wingate, '06 into eighth place on the program's all-time assist list and now has 353. He is just two away from Charles Dubra, '92 and 10 behind former teammate and current coach Michael Alvarado, '14.
* 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 Manhattan the lead for good in the win over Fordham after drawing the game-clinching charge at Detroit Mercy.
* Freshman Aaron Walker Jr. scored 14 points with a team-high four assists against Monmouth, fueled by a highlight-reel dunk, and is averaging 8.0 ppg with 10 double-figure scoring performances.
* 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.
* Capuano had 13 points and six rebounds in the first Jasper 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, '15 (11) and Ashton Pankey, '15 (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 6.3 ppg and 5.6 rpg over the last nine 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 16 of its 25 games and have registered 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 98-43 record (.695), including games against Florida State and WVU, both of whom are ranked in the top-20.
* Masiello has led Manhattan to a 101-87 (.537) record, including going 62-48 (.564) during MAAC play and 48-24 (.667) 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 184-123 record.
* In his 21st season as either a player or a coach, Masiello has a career collegiate record of 464-233, including 343-205 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.
WHAT'S A JASPER?
The unique nickname of Manhattan College's athletic teams, the Jaspers, comes from one of the College's most memorable figures, Brother Jasper of Mary, F.S.C., who served as the College's athletic director in the late 19th century. One of the greatest achievements of Brother Jasper was that he brought the then little-known sport of baseball to Manhattan College and became the team's first coach. Since Brother Jasper was also the Prefect of Discipline, he supervised the student fans at Manhattan baseball games while also directing the team itself. During one particularly warm and humid day when the college was playing a semi-pro baseball team called the Metropolitans, Brother Jasper noticed the Manhattan students were becoming restless and edgy with the team coming to bat in the seventh inning of a close game. To relieve the tension, Brother Jasper called timeout and told the students to stand up and stretch for a few minutes until the game resumed. Since the College annually played the New York Giants in the late 1880's and into the 1890's at the old Polo Grounds, the Manhattan College practice of the “seventh inning stretch” spread into the major leagues, where it has now become a time-honored custom practiced by millions of fans annually.
THIS IS MANHATTAN COLLEGE
• U.S. News & World Report ranks Manhattan 15th out of 138 in the Best Regional Universities (North) category of its 2016-17 Best Colleges list. This is the tenth year in a row the College has placed in the regional top 20. U.S. News & World Report also ranks Manhattan College as 8th among 52 regional universities that are attractive colleges for veteran students.
• Brookings ranks Manhattan College 9th out of more than 7,000 two and four-year schools in an analysis that examined how well schools prepare students for successful careers.
• Why is Manhattan College in the Bronx? Our campus was originally located in Manhattan at the intersection of 131st Street and Broadway. In 1923, Manhattan College moved to its present Riverdale location in order to accommodate a growing student body. But with more than 60 years of history established as Manhattan College, the institution decided to retain the name despite the geographic misnomer.
• 17 alumni are members of the prestigious National Academy of Engineering — an impressive number for an institution the size of Manhattan College.
• Alumni include Rudy Giuliani '65, former mayor of New York City; James Patterson '69, best-selling author; and Raymond Kelly '63, former commissioner of the NYPD.
• Manhattan is one of only 182 remaining colleges founded in the United States before the Civil War.
SCOUTING MONMOUTH
The first-place Hawks enter Friday's match-up with a 20-5 record, including an impressive 12-2 MAAC ledger, and are led by one of the top players in MAAC history in Justin Robinson. The diminutive Robinson plays much bigger than his listed height of 5-8 and went for 27 points with four steals in the teams' first match-up. The reigning MAAC Player of the Year is averaging a team-leading 19.3 ppg to go along with 4.9 apg and is joined in double-figures by Micah Seaborn (14.9 ppg) and Je'Lon Hornbeak (10.5 ppg).
KEY MATCH-UP
The Three-Ball ... Monmouth is averaging 8.5 threes per game on 35.6 percent shooting but converted on just five in the first meeting as the Jaspers limited the Hawks to a 33.3 percent conversion rate.
GLOBALLY SPEAKING
Manhattan boasts five foreign-born players in R. Williams (Jamaica), Ismail (Egypt), Usilo (Nigeria), Ojo (Nigeria) and freshman Oliver Ehrnvall (Sweden).
REMEMBERING FATHER HILL
At halftime, Manhattan College President Dr. Brennan O'Donnell and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Marianne Reilly honored Fr. George Hill, the College's longtime chaplain who passed away in September, as Father Hill's family was presented with a framed Jaspers' jersey. Masiello also is keeping a seat behind the bench vacant all season in honor of Father Hill with Manhattan basketball players are wearing memorial patches on the left shoulder of their jerseys in his honor.
THE MASIELLO WAY
Since Masiello took over the program in 2011-2012, Manhattan is 37-6 when notching 10 steals, including 26-3 over the last three years, and 20-11 when forcing at least 20 turnovers.
NOT SHABBY
Over the last three-plus years, the Jaspers are 48-9 when leading at the half, 26-8 when limiting teams to less than 40 percent shooting and 42-21 when forcing more turnovers than the opposition.
MASIELLO AT MANHATTAN
Masiello has been a part of four of Manhattan's five MAAC Championships while helping lead the Jaspers to a 184-123 record in this his 10th season in Riverdale.
111TH SEASON OF JASPERS BASKETBALL
In its 111th season, the Manhattan men's basketball program boasts a 1348-1204 overall record (283-302 MAAC). The Jaspers' storied men's basketball team was established in 1904-05 and took a two-year hiatus during the 1943-44 and 1944-45 season due to World War II.
UP NEXT
Manhattan hosts Saint Peter's in the second game of a doubleheader on Sunday, February 12 at 6:00 pm.
