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BROOKLYN, N.Y. - After a hard-fought victory on Saturday, Manhattan (3-7) will look for its first winning streak of the season against Fordham (3-5) in the Battle of the Bronx at the Barclays Center on Monday, Dec. 22 at 6 p.m.
TOP STORYLINES
# 1 - Fordham won last year's match-up by a 79-75 count in Draddy Gymnasium while snapping a two-game Jasper winning streak.
# 2 - Manhattan will be playing at the Barclays Center for the third time in as many seasons and rallied to post an 84-81 overtime victory against Buffalo a year ago.
QUICK HITS
* Manhattan holds a 55-51 edge in the all-time series, which dates back to the 1911-1912 season.
* The teams have split their last eight match-ups while meeting every year since the 1945-1946 season.
* Steve Masiello is 2-1, all-time, against Fordham since assuming the head coaching reigns and was 4-0 against the Rams as an assistant during his first tenure in Riverdale from 2001-2005.
* Fordham rallied from a six-point second-half deficit to claim last year's meeting by a 79-75 count at Draddy Gymnasium despite 24 points and 11 rebounds from George Beamon.
* The Jaspers will be looking to snap a four-game losing streak to Atlantic 10 opposition and is 0-2 against the league this season.
* Manhattan defeated La Salle 99-90 in double overtime in their 2013-2014 season opener.
* The Barclays Center will be the ninth different venue that the Jaspers played in this season and will see action in 11 different locations over its first 13 games. Manhattan is 1-2 in neutral site venues this season and 5-3 since the start of last season.
* Following Monday's match-up, the Jaspers will be off for 10 days before resuming MAAC play at Niagara.
* Manhattan is playing eight of its nine non-conference games either on the road or in neutral venues while six of the aforementioned nine non-league games will be against teams from the Atlantic 10 (3), ACC (2) and Big Ten (1).
* Manhattan bested Morgan State 73-69 in a game that featured 18 lead changes and 12 ties on Saturday thanks to a game-high 20 points from junior Shane Richards. The New York native was 6-for-9 from the floor, including 4-of-6 from long range, and broke Devon Austin's three-point record with his 166th career trey.
* Richards' performance was the second 20-plus point outing of his career and the fifth by a Jasper student-athlete this season. In his four previous games, Richards had just 19 points, on 5-of-23 shooting, including 4-for-20 from long range.
* He also made good one all four of his free throws as Manhattan went 8-for-10 in the final three-plus minutes of action after going 13-for-26 in the final five minutes of games decided by 10 points or less coming to start the year.
* The Jaspers have limited each of their last eight opponents to less than 70 points and are 3-5 during that time after going 15-1 a year ago when holding teams to the standard a year ago.
* Richards continues to rank among the league leaders in scoring (11.8-15th), fueled by 2.4 triples per game (4th MAAC) and is the lone Manhattan student-athlete to start every game.
* Thanks to Richards, the Jaspers hit on a season-high matching nine three pointers while converting at least 40 percent from long range for the third time this season.
* Manhattan also improved to 2-1, all-time, against Morgan State and 5-2 against the MEAC with its most recent win.
* The Jaspers have won six-straight and 11-of-12 at Draddy Gymnasium dating back to last season.
* Masiello is 27-11 at home since taking over as head coach before the 2011-2012 season.
* Senior Emmy Andujar hit for double-figures for the fifth-straight game, finishing with 16 points, six assists and five rebounds. During that time, Andujar is averaging 16.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game - all of which lead the team.
* His six helpers also move him into 10th place (287) on the school's all-time assist list and with 14 more will match Keaton Hyman for ninth place. Andujar is also just 43 points shy of becoming the 36th member of the Manhattan 1,000-point club.
* Andujar continues to rank among the MAAC leaders in scoring (13.5-12th), rebounding (7.5-6th), field goal percentage (.513-4th), steals (1.7-6th), assists (3.1-9th), offensive rebounding (3.0-3rd), defensive rebounding (4.5-9th) and assist/turnover ratio (0.8-11th).
* At Pitt, Andujar notched 17 of his team-high 19 points after halftime and continues to lead the Jaspers with 8.6 points per game after halftime. Additionally, over his last five games he is averaging 11.4 points each time out on 69.0 percent (20-for-29) shooting.
* Senior Donovan Kates became the sixth different Jasper to miss a game this season against Morgan State. Kates (1), senior RaShawn Stores (2), sophomore Jermaine Lawrence (4), classmate Carlton Allen (3), freshman Samson Usilo (9) and classmate Zane Waterman (5) have combined to miss 24 games this season.
* Sophomore Tyler Wilson picked up a season-best matching three steals against Morgan State while help pressuring the Bears into a season-high matching 19 turnovers as Manhattan has now forced at least 19 turnovers six times this season.
* Wilson, who also added six points, four rebounds and two assists and continues to rank among the MAAC leaders in assists (3.3-6th), assist/turnover ratio (1.2-8th) and steals (1.6-10th). He has also handed out at least four assists five times this season while converting on a team-best 28 free throws.
* Despite failing to hit for double-figures against Morgan State, junior Ashton Pankey grabbed a team-best eight rebounds while recording a career-high matching three blocks and continues to rank among the MAAC leaders in scoring (10.4-20th), rebounding (6.3-10th), field goal percentage (.535-2nd), blocks (1.0-9th), offensive rebounding (2.0-12th) and defensive rebounding (4.3-12th).
* DYK? That while Andujar, Richards and Pankey are all averaging double-figures in scoring, the three players have yet to each notch double-figures in the same game. Additionally, the Jaspers have only had three student-athletes hit for double-figures in a game twice this season.
* Sophomore walk-on Trevor Glassman drained the second three pointer of the career against Morgan State.
* Fordham enters with a 3-5 record, including posting wins over Siena and Monmouth, and is led by freshman Eric Paschall, who leads all freshmen in the Division I ranks with 18.1 points per game.
* Since returning to Riverdale, Masiello has led the Manhattan to the program's fourth MAAC Championship as well as a pair of 20-plus win campaigns. In his first tenure, he was a part of two MAAC Championships and three 20-plus win seasons. All told, Masiello has been a member of three of the Jaspers' four MAAC Championship teams and five of their 12 20-win seasons while accruing a 146-82 record.
* In his 19th season as either a player or a coach, Masiello has a career collegiate record of 424-192, including 303-171 on the sidelines, with one National Title, two National Championship appearances, two Final Four appearances, six Elite Eight berths, seven conference championships, 12 NCAA Tournament appearances and 15 20-win seasons.
KEY MATCH-UPS
* The Glass - Manhattan will be playing against a Fordham squad that has posted a +5.6 rebounding advantage.
* Contain Paschall - The Ram freshman leads all rookies in scoring at 18.1 per game while shooting 49.5 percent from the floor, including 37.0 percent from deep.
* Three-Point Shooting - Richards snapped a four-game funk with 20 points in the win over Morgan State as the Jaspers converted on a season-high matching nine triples, and will need to continue to shoot at a high level to avenge last year's loss to Fordham.
HISTORY LESSON
Last year all seven of Manhattan's non-conference wins came either on the road or neutral courts. This season the Jaspers will play four road and four neutral site games in the non-conference portion of their schedule.
PROJECT MAYHEM
Manhattan has forced at least 19 turnovers in six of its 10 games and ranks third among MAAC leaders and 60th nationally with a +2.5 turnover margin.
AP NOTCHES SECOND CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Pankey scored 12 points with 10 rebounds at Pittsburgh in recording his second career double-double.
PERFECT 10
At Pitt, Stores became the 10th different Manhattan student-athlete to start a game.
STEVENSON JOINS THE TEAM
Prior to the Pitt game, Julius Stevenson was welcomed to the Jasper family and sat directly behind the Manhattan team bench. Stevenson was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) on July 22. CML is a chronic form of Leukemia that is commonly found people that are over the age of 60. He is only one of a handful of children under the age of four diagnosed with this rare form of childhood Leukemia in the entire United States
RETURN TO THE GARDEN
The Jaspers quared off with Rutgers at Madison Square Garden last Sunday while playing at the World's Most Famous Arena for the first time since dropping a 71-51 decision to Iona on Jan. 24, 2009.
20/20 VISION
Andujar notched his fourth career 20-point game against Rutgers, finishing up with 21 points while also adding nine rebounds, four assists and three steals.
UNDER PRESSURE
Manhattan pressured the Scarlet Knights into a season-high 21 turnovers, marking the fourth time in eight games that the Jaspers have forced at least 20 in a game.
THE SEASON OF GIVING ... AND TAKING
Stores returned to the line-up against Marist and handed out a team-best four assists, against no turnovers, in 15 minutes of action. Thanks to Stores, the Jaspers dished out a season-high 19 helpers while Manhattan also pulled down a season-high 45 rebounds and matching its season-best with 10 steals.
POWERS HONORED
Former Manhattan student-athlete, coach and administrator Jack Powers was honored with an ECAC Lifetime Award at halftime of the St. John's-Fordham game following the Rutgers tilt.
MANHATTAN SIGNS TWO FOR NEXT SEASON
Masiello has announced the signing of Nigeria natives Vincent Eze (6-8, 220) of Putnam Science (Conn.) and Akintoye Ojo (6-10, 230) of Cardinal Hayes for next season.
NEW YORK STATE OF MIND
Manhattan boasts a roster of eight New York City natives and returns two starters and five key reserves that averaged at least 10 minutes a game a year ago.
RICHARDS LIGHTS IT UP FROM DOWNTOWN
Richards, the 2012-2013 MAAC Co-Rookie of the Year matched the single-season Manhattan school record with 77 three pointers a year ago and is currently fourth in the league and 119th nationally with 2.4 threes per game. He is first in school history with 166 career triples after breaking the record against Morgan State.
WATCH AND LISTEN ON leslieschultz.com
For the 17th year, Manhattan Men's Basketball games will be broadcast live over the internet on leslieschultz.com. Former Jasper greats Brian Mahoney and Chris Williams return as the color analysts, alongside play-by-play broadcaster Christian Heimall. Each broadcast will begin with the “Steve Masiello Pre-Game Report” 15 minutes prior to the opening tip.
109TH SEASON OF JASPERS BASKETBALL
In its 109th season, the Manhattan men's basketball program boasts a 1311-1163 overall record and 259-276 MAAC mark in 35 seasons as a conference member. The Jaspers' storied men's basketball team was established in 1904-05 and served a two-year hiatus during the 1943-44 and 1944-45 season due to World War II.
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
• Manhattan College is one of 276 institutions in the United States with a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest and most widely known academic honor society. Phi Beta Kappa celebrates and advocates excellence in the liberal arts and sciences.
• All three of the College's professional programs — business, education and health, and engineering — are nationally accredited.
• The five undergraduate engineering programs — chemical, civil, computer, electrical and mechanical — are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET, Inc).
• The School of Education is accredited by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC).
• The School of Business is one of 555 institutions in the world to be accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International.
• Seventeen alumni are members of the prestigious National Academy of Engineering — an impressive number for an institution the size of Manhattan College.
• Manhattan is one of few American colleges to have chapters of all five of the distinguished national honor societies: Beta Gamma Sigma, Kappa Delta Pi, Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi and Tau Beta Pi.
• Distinguished 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 New York City Police Department.
• Manhattan is one of only 182 remaining colleges founded in the United States before the Civil War.
UP NEXT
Manhattan travels to Niagara and will resume MAAC play on Friday, Jan. 2 at 7 p.m.
