Riverdale, NY - Manhattan (9-10; 5-5 MAAC) will host Niagara (7-14; 5-5 MAAC) on Friday, February 7 at 7:00 pm in a nationally televised ESPNU game.
1994-95 Team To Be Recognized
* The 1994-95 team that earned the first at-large berth in MAAC history, before defeating Oklahoma in the NCAA Tournament, will recognized at halftime on Friday.
Jaspers To Host GREEN OUT25 years ago in March we defeated Oklahoma ??
— Manhattan Basketball (@JaspersMBB) February 4, 2020
Friday night they come back to Draddy!
Here are the highlights for the victory!#JasperNation #BronxBuilt pic.twitter.com/eQJj2Q7rE5
In The First Meeting ...
* Manhattan defeated Niagara by a 67-62 count in the teams' first meeting, thanks to 21 points from sophomore Tykei Greene.
* Senior Pauly Paulicap had 16 points and seven rebounds in the teams' first meeting, and is averaging 14.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg and 2.8 bpg over four career meetings with Niagara.
Manhattan-Niagara History
* Manhattan leads the all-time series with Niagara by a 55-33 count, including going 20-9 in Draddy.
* Head Coach Steve Masiello is 12-5, all-time, against the Purple Eagles, including 7-1 at Draddy.
* The Jaspers have won four-straight overall against Niagara, and six-straight at home.
* Head Coach Fran Fraschilla of the '95 team went 9-2 against Niagara, including 4-0 at home, and defeated the Purple Eagles for the 1993 MAAC Title.
Last Time Out
* Manhattan limited Iona to 49 points the last time out, which represents the least allowed by the Jaspers and fewest scored by the four-time defending MAAC Champion Gaels this year.
* Junior Nehemiah Mack buried a career-high five three pointers en route to a season-high 15 points in Manhattan's 72-49 win, while handing out four assists, against one turnover.
* The 23-point victory over Iona is the Jaspers' biggest win since an 81-54 decision over Eastern Kentucky on December 22, 2016.
Dynamic Duo
* Paulicap and sophomore Warren Williams each check in with a team-best 9.9 ppg during MAAC play, with the duo averaging 19.8 ppg and 10.3 rpg during league play, on 51.6 percent shooting in league play.
Pauly Being Pauly
* Paulicap is averaging 10.7 ppg, 9.0 rpg and 3.7 bpg over his last three games.
* He notched his second double-double and the eighth of his career against Rider, finishing with a season-high 18 points and 11 rebounds, while adding five blocks.
* The Harcum College transfer has swatted at least five shots seven times in his career, and is second in the MAAC with 1.6 bpg, while also adding 9.3 ppg (30th MAAC) and a team-best 6.4 rpg (6th MAAC).
* He continues to rank fifth in school history with 120 career blocks, just nine behind Jamal Marshall, while his rejection at Hofstra also was the No. 4 play for the December 22 on SportsCenter.
The Masiello Files
* Over nine years, Masiello is 55-10 (.846) when limiting teams to less than 60 points, 44-14 (.759) when notching double-figures in steals and 27-14 (.659) when forcing at least 20 turnovers.
Nationally
* Manhattan is 42nd nationally in field goal percentage defense with a MAAC-best .396, and ranks among the nation's best in scoring defense (64.3 ppg-60th) and turnovers forced (15.4-58th NCAA).
Tykei Named MAAC POTW
* Greene was named MAAC Player of the Week after averaging 17.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg over Manhattan's Western New York swing.
* The sophomore guard made good on 42.9 percent (9-of-21) from the floor, including 55.6 percent (5-of-9) from deep, and 73.3 percent (11-of-15) from the line .
* He began the week with 13 points and seven rebounds in victory at Canisius, before scoring 16 of his game-high 21 points at Niagara in the first half.
Second-Year Uprising
* Through 19 games, the sophomore fivesome of Elijah Buchahan, Greene, Christian Hinckson, Samir Stewart and Williams have combined to account for 62.9 percent of Manhattan's offense (40.1 ppg) and 49.1 percent of the rebounding (17.8 rpg).
* The last time out against Iona, Hinckson had 12 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals, and narrowly missed the first triple-double in Manhattan history in the win over Quinnipiac with nine points, eight rebounds and a career-high nine assists.
* The sophomores had a season-high 58 points in the win over Canisius, while shooting a blistering 64.5 percent (20-of-31).
* Led by the sophomore class, the Jaspers converted on 55.3 percent (26-of-47) from the floor at Canisius, including a blistering 64.3 percent (9-of-14) after halftime.
More Sophomores
* Hinckson matched his career-high with 10 rebounds at Saint Peter's, after scoring a season-high 14 points in the win over Siena. On the year, he is averaging 6.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg (12th MAAC) and 1.8 spg (2nd MAAC).
* Greene is averaging 11.5 ppg over his last eight games while making good on 53.8 percent (14-of-26) from deep, highlighted by scoring a career-high 25 at Hofstra, on 10-of-17 shooting (5-for-5, 3pt).
* On the year, Greene has notched double-figures in scoring a team-best 10 times and checks in with 10.4 ppg (t-21st MAAC) and 5.1 rpg (16th MAAC).
* Williams had 16 in the win at Canisius before going for 19 at Fairfield, and is averaging 8.1 ppg while ranking third in the MAAC in field goal percentage (.573).
* Stewart scored 17 points and a career-high seven assists vs. Rider, on the heels of scoring a season-high 20 points in the win over Quinnipiac.
* He is averaging 9.1 ppg, 3.2 apg (9th MAAC), 1.9 triples per game (11th MAAC) and 1.3 spg (11th MAAC), while posting a 1.6 assist/turnover ratio (6th MAAC).
* Buchanan scored a game-high 16 points at Saint Peter's with five rebounds, and is averaging 10.1 ppg over his last seven games.
* He hit for a career-high 18 points against Western Michigan, and scored 15 points with seven rebounds in the victory at Fordham in collecting 'Battle of the Bronx' MVP honors.
Reynolds Goes Off At Marist
* Senior Tyler Reynolds, scored a career-high matching 23 points at Marist, on 7-of-13 shooting from deep.
* His seven triples are tied for the second most in program history, with the feat happening six previous times (last: Zavier Turner vs. SFBK (12/20/16).
* Reynolds fueled the win over Siena with 16 points, on the strength of four three pointers, after draining the game-winning three pointer at Fordham with 4.2 seconds to play.
The Stabilizing Force
* He has a 3.64 assist/turnover ratio, including 7.0 (28/4) during MAAC play, with 3.8 ppg and 2.7 apg (13th MAAC).
* Over the last 15 games, Mack has a 5.38 assist/turnover ratio (43/8), highlighted by a career-best six assists, against no turnovers, at URI.
Getting Defensive
* Thanks to the defensive success, the Jaspers have overcome second half double-digit deficits in victories over UAlbany, at Elon and at Fordham, the last of which was fueled by a game-ending 26-14 spurt over the final 6:30 and overtime.
* Over the last five minutes/OT of 10-point games, Manhattan is shooting 41.3 percent (26-of-63) from the floor, while limiting the opposition to 37.1 percent (26-of-70).
* In the season-opening win over Delaware State, the Jaspers forced 25 turnovers (3x last- Siena (1/13/18)) and 16 steals (Buffalo (12/21/13)), matching the most by a Masiello-coached team.
Manhattan Topples Elon
* The Jaspers posted a 69-64 win over the Phoenix, rallying from an early 17-point deficit.
* Masiello picked up his 130th career win and is fourth in the all-time annals.
* Manhattan outscored Elon 61-39 over the final 27-plus minutes and scored on 13 of its last 15 possessions.
Second-Half Success
* After halftime this year, the Jaspers are averaging 35.0 ppg while shooting 43.8 percent from the floor, including 35.6 percent from long range, compared to just 28.6 ppg, on 35.5 percent shooting, and 28.5 percent from deep in the opening stanza.
* In the comeback win over UAlbany, Manhattan posted a dominating 11-2 advantage on the glass over the final six-plus minutes and ended the game on a 14-8 run - including scoring the final seven points of the contest.
* Greene fueled the comeback win over the Great Danes by scoring 10 of his 17 points over the final six-plus minutes, to go along with a career-best nine rebounds.
Mas=Success
* Masiello is one of just seven Division I coaches that is 42 or younger with two conference titles and two trips to the NCAA Tourney, while posting a school-record 10 MAAC Tournament wins.
* Masiello has led Manhattan to a 136-141 (.491) record, including going 85-77 (.525) during MAAC play, over his nine seasons.
* At Draddy Gymnasium, Masiello holds a sterling 66-41 record (.617) and with two more wins will match Bobby Gonzalez for the most in program history.
* He has won two MAAC Titles, advanced to title game three times, claimed two Metropolitan Coach of the Year awards with a pair of 20-win campaigns. Masiello has also participated in the NCAA Tournament in 13 of his 24 seasons as a player or coach, including being a part of eight conference champions and one National Title.
* Masiello has a career collegiate record of 497-287 (.634), including 377-259 (.592) 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.
NIagara Notes
* Niagara defeated Quinnipiac the last time out by a 75-59 count and enters with a 7-14 record, including a 5-5 ledger during MAAC play.
* Marcus Hammond (13.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg), James Towns (12.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg) and Raheem Solomon (10.8 ppg) lead the way on offense for the Purple Eagles.
* In the teams' first match-up, Greg Kuakumensah had 13 points and 10 rebounds.
For Starters
* The Jaspers improved to 75-39, all-time, in season openers with their wire-to-wire 85-74 win over Delaware State.
* Manhattan opened the season with a 13-0 run and converted a blistering 78.4 percent (29-of-37) from the line.
* The Jaspers also registered five double-figure scorers in the win over Delaware State for the first time since an 101-96 double-overtime victory at Marist on January 2, 2018.
Pretty, Pretty Good
* Ticket holders for all remaining basketball home games will now be able to receive 20 percent off in-restaurant orders on game days at Italian eatery Bella Notte by showing tickets to that day's contest. Bella Notte is located in central Riverdale on Johnson Avenue. This promotion covers all weekday and weekend games including Sunday Brunch, which starts at Noon. Click HERE for more information
Preseason All-MAAC Recap
* Paulicap and Williams were each named to the 2019-20 Preseason All-MAAC Third Team, while Manhattan was tabbed fifth as a team.
* Paulicap averaged 8.5 points per game in limited action a year ago, while Williams notched a team-leading 9.2 points each time out in earning MAAC All-Rookie Team honors.
* Two years ago, Paulicap was named the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year following an outstanding year in which ranked 16th nationally with a MAAC-best 2.6 blocks per game (16th NCAA) to go along with 10.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
* Williams recorded double-figures a team-leading 16 times last season while pacing the MAAC with a .571 field goal percentage, and saved his best for last with a career-high 27 points against Canisius in the quarterfinals of the MAAC Championship.
The Returners
* Manhattan's returners have scored all but 47 points this year.
* The Jaspers bring back a MAAC-best 86.5 percent of their scoring, 85.4 percent of their rebounding and 83.3 percent of their assists.
DYK
* Manhattan was one of 20 teams in the Division I ranks to not lose a transfer, returning 14 letterwinners, including 10 scholarship student-athletes.
Newcomers
* Joining the Jaspers this year are junior Michael Okafor, freshman Adam Cisse and classmate Romar Reid.
What Is 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
* 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.
This Is Manhattan Basketball
* Manhattan has three wins in NCAA Tournament play, defeating West Virginia (1958), Oklahoma (1995) and Florida (2004).
* The Jaspers have won five MAAC Tournament titles in the last 25 years (1993, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2015).
* Manhattan received an at-large berth in 1995 and defeated Oklahoma before falling to Arizona State.
* Was the first team in NCAA history to a win a game in Europe, defeating Holy Cross 70-54 on December 1, 2017 as part of the inaugural Belfast Classic.
Up Next
* Manhattan will play at Quinnipiac on Sunday, February 9 at 2:00 pm.