Game 29: Manhattan (18-10, 11-5) vs. UNC Wilmington (9-17, 5-11)
Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 2 p.m.
Draddy Gymnasium (2,345) - Riverdale, N.Y.
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Scouting Report
Manhattan (18-10, 11-5 MAAC)
Manhattan returns to Draddy Gymnasium to wrap up its final three games of the regular-season. The Jaspers have won seven of their 10 contests in Riverdale this season, including four of their last five. In the seven home wins the Jaspers are averaging a 17.7-point margin of victory and have held these opponents to 50.9 points per game.
The Jaspers are on the biggest turnaround in NCAA Division I with an 18-10 overall record, which is 12 wins more than the win total last year. Manhattan is 11-5 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and has secured a top-4 seed at the 2012 MAAC Basketball Championships in Springfield, Mass. from March 2-5.
The Jaspers have won nine of their last 12 contests and four of these wins have come at Draddy Gymnasium. Manhattan has been one of the premier defensive teams in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) this season. The Jaspers are 39th nationally in field goal percentage defense. Manhattan leads the MAAC with a 39.9% field goal defense, a 33.1% 3-point field goal defense and the Jaspers are tied for second yielding 64.1 points per game.
Manhattan has been the top rebounding team in the conference averaging 36.4 boards. The Jaspers hold a league best +4.0 rebounding margin and .681 defensive rebounding percentage. Manhattan's 4.9 blocks per game is also a league best and ranks 36th nationally.
Junior George Beamon has established himself as a top player in the MAAC and also in the region. The 6'4" guard from Roslyn, N.Y. ranks second in the conference averaging 17.7 points per game, and in MAAC games he leads the league averaging 18.8 points. Beamon has led Manhattan in scoring 20 times this season and has an active streak of 42 straight games posting double-figures. Beamon is also the Jaspers top rebounder (5.5 rpg) and his 80.9% free-throw percentage is the fourth highest in the MAAC. After hitting only six 3-pointers last season, Beamon ranks fourth in the conference with a 41.4% (48-116) 3-point field goal percentage.
Off the bench, sophomore forward Rhamel Brown and senior guard Kidani Brutus have been key contributors to the Jaspers success. Brown is the MAACs top shot blocker with 71 on the season. His 2.5 blocks per game rank 19th in NCAA Division I. Brown is only three blocks shy of tying the program's single season record set by Arturo Dubois in 2005-06 (74). Brown is second in the MAAC for field goal percentage (57.4%). Brutus leads the Jaspers with 54 3-point field goals and he is averaging 8.1 points and 2.1 assists per game.
Bronx natives Michael Alvarado and Emmy Andujar have also been major factors for the Jaspers. Alvarado, a sophomore point guard, ranks fifth in the MAAC with 92 assists this season, going along with a 8.4 scoring average. Andujar, a freshman forward from Rice High School, has been an all around contributor with 8.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 27 appearances this season.
UNC Wilmington (9-17, 5-11 CAA)
UNC Wilmington is coached by Buzz Peterson who is in his second season at the helm. The Seahawks have struggled as of late dropping 10 of their last 12 contests. UNC Wilmington's last victory came on Feb. 4 with an 81-68 win over William & Mary.
The Seahawks are led by 6'8" junior forward Keith Rendleman who is averaging a double-double with 15.0 points and 10.7 rebounds per contest. UNC Wilmington is also receiving 14.9 points per game from freshman guard Adam Smith who is the Seahawks top 3-point shooter with 53 field goals beyond the arc.
UNC Wilmington averages 65.7 points per game and boasts a 42.1% field goal percentage. The Seahawks have yielded 70.6 points per game this year.
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