Manhattan Basketball

In past years, Manhattan College's schedule included mostly cupcakes. It would be made up of locals like St. Francis (NY), Columbia, N.J.I.T. and Binghamton, mixed with one top 25 team—the Jaspers played the likes Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin and Memphis in recent years.

This time around, second-year head coach Steve Masiello, a fiery 34 year-old who was previously an assistant at Louisville under Rick Pitino, has put together an extremely tough schedule, one that is surely the most challenging Manhattan schedule since I started following the Jaspers' basketball program nine years ago.

"I believe this non-conference schedule is the most challenging since the 1970s," Manhattan Athletic Director Bob Byrnes told Manhattan's official website.

The Jaspers will play all but two non-conference games on the road, and even those will not be easy. Their home opener is against Hofstra, which is a potential surprise team in the CAA, and then they play Stony Brook, which won the America East regular season championship last year and is expected to do the same in 2012-13, on New Year's Day.

To open the season, Manhattan will travel to Louisville, which is likely to be a top two team in the nation with Indiana at the start of the season. The Cardinals finished only 10-8 in the Big East last year, but they won the conference tournament and then advanced all the way to the Final Four.

Next up is Harvard, another team that made the NCAA tournament last year, on the road. The Crimson graduated a pair of key players in Keith Wright and Oliver McNally, but it is still expected to win the Ivy League championship.

After coming home for Hofstra, the Jaspers will play their next six non-conference games away from home.

The first three games are against Atlantic 10 opponents: Dayton, which went to the NIT last year, Fordham, and George Washington.

Dayton is a borderline top 25 team, but Fordham and George Washington are both very beatable. The Rams finished in last place in the conference in 2011-12, and the Colonials finished No. 11.

Manhattan's next three games away from home are all close by in New York City. They play at two-time defending NEC champion LIU-Brooklyn, then versus South Carolina on a neutral site at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and finally at Columbia, whose gym is only a 20 minute subway ride from Manhattan College. The Lions always attract a good home crowd, but there should be a fair share of Jasper fans making an appearance.

The Jaspers' final non-conference game will be on the road in the Bracketbuster, scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 23. Their opponent will be determined in either late January or early February.

Last year, Iona, another MAAC team, also put together a difficult non-conference schedule with mostly road games. The Gaels went 9-3 in those games and had no signature wins, but the tough schedule boosted their RPI and took them to the NCAA tournament as an at-large team.

We'll see if the same approach works as well for Manhattan.

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According to an article by Sean Brennan of the New York Daily News, former Maryland forward Ashton Pankey chose to transfer to Manhattan College after visiting the school on Friday. Pankey had also been recruited by Manhattan rivals Iona and Fordham during the last number of weeks.

As a redshirt freshman, Pankey averaged 4.7 points per game and 4.3 rebounds per game for the Terrapins during the 2011-12 season. His season-high 17 points came on 6-of-8 shooting against Radford.

Pankey, a native of the Bronx, wanted to transfer to a school closer to his home. "It's a personal situation with my mom," he told the Daily News. According to an article by Adam Zagoria, Pankey will apply for a hardship waiver from the NCAA to give him eligibility for the 2012-13 season. If his request is not granted, he will have to sit out the upcoming season and then play in 2013-14.

If Pankey does become eligible for the 2012-13 season, he will make Manhattan a clear favorite in the MAAC next year, along with Loyola (MD), and possibly even Iona or Niagara.

The Jaspers, who finished third in the MAAC last season, struggled at points due to a lack of size. Their biggest post presence who received consistent playing time was 6'7" Roberto Colonette. With the 6'8" Pankey, Manhattan would have a high-quality big man whose size fits his position, which can be a rarity at the mid-major level.

If eligible, he will most likely be starting in the front court alongside rising junior Rhamel Brown—the reigning MAAC Defensive Player of the Year.

In addition to Pankey, Manhattan head coach Steve Masiello is bringing in four freshman: guards C.J. Jones and Paul Bayt, forward Shane Richards and center Adam Lacey.

If you looked at the schedule back in November, this game would seem meaningless—at least for Manhattan. Although Loyola (MD) was picked as the preseason No. 3, Manhattan was picked to finish in eighth place, behind the likes of Siena, Niagara and Rider.

But now, the Jaspers sit tied with Loyola (20-8, 12-5 MAAC) and Fairfield (17-12, 12-5) in second place in the MAAC entering the final game of the regular season.

Manhattan (20-10, 12-5) defeated Canisius on Friday night, 90-77, to continue its improbable run toward the No. 2 seed in the MAAC tournament and mark its first 20-win season since 2005-06.

Meanwhile, losses by Loyola and Fairfield to Rider and Iona, respectively, kept the Jaspers' chances for second place alive.

Sunday's game between the Jaspers and the Greyhounds will put the winner behind Iona as the No. 2 team in the MAAC, but the loser will fall to the No. 4 seed with a Fairfield win over Rider, or No. 3 with a Fairfield loss.

A lot will be on the line on senior day at Draddy Gymnasium, and here is what each team will have to do in order to come away with a victory:

Keys for Loyola

Control the Crowd and the Emotion

Manhattan is 9-3 at home this season, and the Jaspers have thrived when playing in front of a large home crowd. The only time they lost at home in front of a big crowd was to first-place Iona. 

Draddy Gymnasium is not particularly large, but when Manhattan students fill it up, it gets loud and hostile.

And don't forget that this is senior day. Manhattan and its fans will come out with plenty of emotion.

If Loyola allows the hyped-up Manhattan Jaspers to open up a good-sized lead early in the game, the Greyhounds will have trouble fighting back against Steve Masiello's relentless system.

Limit Beamon, Neutralize Brown

George Beamon will score—that is a given. The junior is No. 2 in the MAAC in scoring and has scored in double-figures in every game this season. What Loyola can do is limit him as much as possible by trying to get him on the bench.

Masiello has not risked Beamon picking up three first-half fouls. Every time he has two fouls in the first half, he goes to the bench. And when Beamon is on the bench, the Jaspers' offense tends to go through tremendous struggles.

The other X-factor for Manhattan is Rhamel Brown, the MAAC's leader in blocked shots.

Brown will always be a defensive force with 2.5 blocks per game, but his offensive output is inconsistent. His production has been better the last few games, most recently posting 13 points against Canisius. If Brown can stay out of foul trouble, his post presence has the potential to boost Manhattan to a win.

The best way for Loyola to neutralize him is to force him to catch the ball as far away from the basket as possible. Although Brown's low-post game has improved this year, he still does not look too comfortable putting the ball on the floor.

Keys for Manhattan

Replacing Alvarado

Michael Alvarado left the Siena game a couple of weeks ago with an eye injury, and he will not return until the MAAC tournament. Without their starting point guard, the Jaspers have a combination of Donovan Kates, Emmy Andujar and Kidani Brutus in his place.

None of these replacements have been quite as good as Alvarado, but Andujar has shown promise as a point-forward all season with three assists per game, and Kates put together a career performance on Friday with 18 points.

The Jaspers need everyone to step up and help compensate for the loss of Alvarado in order to beat one of the top teams in the MAAC.

Control the Perimeter on Both Ends

Loyola occasionally catches fire from beyond the arc, but for the most part, the Greyhounds are not a great shooting bunch. Aside from Robert Olson, who shoots 46.1 percent from three-point range, they do not have anyone who shoots better than 33 percent.

Manhattan is No. 1 in the MAAC in three-point defense, holding opponents to 32.7 percent. The Jaspers need to stick to what they do well and force Loyola to score on the inside.

Also, Manhattan is No. 3 in the conference in three-point shooting (36.7 percent), while Loyola is No. 8 in three-point defense (36.4 percent). The Jaspers have a number of shooters on their squad, and they should try to take advantage of the Greyhounds' mediocre three-point defense.

Stats you should know:

• Manhattan leads the all-time series, 31-21.
• Brown set a Manhattan single-season blocks record on Friday night with 76 blocks.
• Beamon has scored in double-digits in 44 straight games, the second-longest active streak in Division I (John Jenkins—Vanderbilt, 61).
• Loyola is enjoying its first 20-win season since 1948-49.

My pick: Manhattan 73, Loyola 69

Tipoff: Sunday, February 26, 4:00 p.m. at Draddy Gymnasium

If Saturday's game is anything like the first matchup of the year between Iona and Manhattan, everyone in attendance will be in for a treat. When the two battled in New Rochelle on January 12, the Jaspers battled back from down 17 points to win on a buzzer beater three-pointer by freshman Emmy Andujar, capping off a 27-7 run over the final 7:42.

At that stage of the season, Manhattan appeared to be a sleeper to keep up with Iona, Fairfield and Loyola (MD) for a MAAC championship, but very few thought the Jaspers would enter the first weekend in February locked with the Gaels and the Greyhounds for first place in the MAAC at 10-2.

Throughout the 2011-12 season, Manhattan (17-7, 10-2 MAAC) has been the surprise team in the MAAC. In fact, the Jaspers have the best turnaround from last season in all of Division-I basketball, already increasing their win total from six to 17.

Iona (18-5, 10-2) is the most talented team in the MAAC—there is not much dispute about that. However, the Gaels have had trouble holding on to large leads in conference play. Both of their MAAC losses came after holding double-digit leads in the second half, and they nearly blew a 19-point lead at Fairfield last week.

The intensity and stakes will be high tonight, and here is what each team will need to do in order to enter next week with at least a share of first place in the MAAC.

Keys for Iona

Control the inside

Manhattan and Iona have two of the better frontcourts in the MAAC this year. The Jaspers have a pair of solid but inconsistent forwards in Rhamel Brown and Roberto Colonette, but the Gaels have Michael Glover, who leads the MAAC in scoring, and up-and-coming forwards Taaj Ridley and Randy Dezouvre.

In the first meeting, Manhattan controlled the inside, outscoring the Gaels 30-18 in the paint and outrebounding them 36-34. Most of the Jaspers' points during their comeback came from the inside.

If Iona lets Manhattan dictate what happens in the paint and on the boards, it could end up being a long night for the Gaels.

Play for 40 minutes

This is an obvious one. While Iona always seems to build big leads early on, it has continuously had trouble holding on. The losses to Manhattan and Siena were a clear example of this, and the near-loss to Fairfield, despite showing some improvement in this area, also made Iona fans question whether or not their team had the killer instinct that a team needs in order to dominate.

The Gaels should not let up at any point during this game, or any other game this year for that matter. When you give the Sienas and Manhattans of the nation a second chance, it could come back to haunt you.

Keys for Manhattan

Get offense out of Rhamel Brown

Despite outstanding games from a number of players back on January 12, Brown was ultimately the key to Manhattan's comeback. The sophomore forward posted a double-double off the bench with 17 points and 11 rebounds. During the final 10 minutes, he had 10 points, four rebounds and two blocks.

Manhattan can always expect defense from Brown, who leads the MAAC in blocked shots. However, when the Jaspers get offensive output out of him, the offense really starts to jell.

Decrease number of turnovers

Manhattan's weakest area this season has clearly been turnovers. The Jaspers turn the ball over 16 times per game.

In order to sweep the most talented team in the MAAC, the Jaspers will need to play as close to perfect as possible.

Iona forces some turnovers off its pressure defense, but that is not where the problem lies for Manhattan. The Jaspers cannot afford to have any unforced turnovers. Every possession in this game will be valuable, and they will struggle if they throw away any of them.

Stats you should know:

- George Beamon has 986 career points entering Saturday night. The junior has scored in double digits in 38 consecutive games.

- Brown moved to No. 3 on Manhattan's career blocks list with three against Marist on Thursday.

- Lamont Jones posted a career-high 43 points against Canisius this week.

- Scott Machado leads the nation in assists with 10.0 per game. He is currently No. 3 in MAAC history in career assists with 784.

- Iona leads the all-time series 42-36.

Iona Stats

Leading scorer: Michael Glover, 18.5 ppg

Leading rebounder: Michael Glover, 9.1 rpg

Leader in assists: Scott Machado, 10.0 apg

Best three-point shooter: Sean Armand, 46.2 percent (48-of-104)

Manhattan Stats

Leading scorer: George Beamon, 17.4 ppg

Leading rebounder: George Beamon, 5.5 rpg

Leader in assists: Michael Alvarado, 3.4 apg

Best three-point shooter: George Beamon, 39.6 percent (40-of-101)

My pick

It's tough to root against the home team, but the odds favor Iona in this one. Although Manhattan plays well in front of a large home crowd, the chances of the less talented Jaspers sweeping the Gaels is a little too far-fetched. Still, expect a close game, one that could once again come down the final shot.

Iona 77, Manhattan 73

Follow Jesse Kramer on Twitter @Jesse_Kramer for more college basketball news and information.

Simply put: Manhattan (14-7, 7-2) is the hottest team in the MAAC. The Jaspers have won 11 of their last 14 games, including wins over preseason favorites Iona and Fairfield. 

They will look to continue their streak up in Buffalo, NY against Canisius (4-15, 1-8). No road game is easy in conference play, but a sixth straight victory for Manhattan is likely.

The Golden Griffins are the lowest ranking team in the MAAC at No. 329 in RPI and are led by Cecil College transfer Harold Washington, who is No. 3 in the MAAC with 17.3 ppg.

Tonight will potentially be a scoring battle. Washington will go up against Manhattan leading scorer George Beamon, who ranks No. 2 in the MAAC with 17.2 ppg. Beamon is backed up by Michael Alvarado, who averaged 12.5 ppg and four apg in his last two outings, and senior Kidani Brutus, the No. 6 three-point shooter in the MAAC.

Here is what each team will have to do tonight in order to be successful 

Keys for Manhattan

Contain the three-point shot

Canisius likes to shoot, although the Griffs are not all that good at it. They shoot 19 treys per game and hit 32.1 percent of them.

The two guys Manhattan needs to focus on are Washington and Alshwan Hymes. Washington does not shoot from beyond the arc too often, but he converts 37 percent of his long range shots. Hymes only shoots 31.9 percent, but he has the potential to catch fire. He has hit four or more three-pointers in four games this year.

Manhattan is No. 1 in the MAAC in three-point defense, but opponents have occasionally caught fire from long range against the Jaspers' 2-3 zone. As long as the Jaspers keep Washington and Hymes in check, Canisius will struggle to knock down its threes. 

Limit turnovers

Manhattan's weakest point this year is its 16.9 turnovers per game. The Jaspers have lost a number of games they should have won because of turning over the ball too much.

If Manhattan turns the ball over more than 15 times tonight, it could be in trouble.

Keys for Canisius 

Contain Beamon

Beamon is the one player that Manhattan needs a solid contribution from in order to have a good outing. Two of Manhattan's four double-digit losses have come with Beamon either out of the game or in foul trouble.

It is almost impossible to completely stop Beamon, but the Griffs need to limit his output as much as possible.

Attack Rhamel Brown Early

Brown is arguably the best defender in the MAAC. He leads the conference in blocks with 2.6 per game, and he makes all shots around the rim tough.

But he is foul-prone.

If Canisius attacks Brown early and gets him into some foul trouble, things can open up for the Griffs on the inside. 

Stats you should know

Manhattan leads the all-time series, 46-32, but Canisius has managed to win the last three meetings. 

Brown is six blocks away from taking the No. 3 spot on the Jaspers' all-time blocks list. He currently has 123, and Jamal Marshall ('95) had 129 during his four-year career.

The countdown to 1,000 career points has begun for Beamon. The junior has 929 points for his career, and he is on pace to hit quadruple digits within the next few weeks. 

My pick

Manhattan 74, Canisius 60

The Manhattan Jaspers (13-7, 6-2 MAAC) have been one of the hotter mid-majors in college basketball over the last month and a half. Since losing to Penn, 75-72, in the final days of November, Manhattan has won 10 of its last 13.

The Jaspers opened up January with a pair of losses to Rider and Loyola (MD), but now they have won four in a row, including wins over the preseason favorites in the MAAC, Iona and Fairfield.

Today, Manhattan hosts Niagara (9-11, 4-4), another hot team in the MAAC. After starting 1-4 in conference play, the Purple Eagles have reeled off three-consecutive wins over the bottom three teams in the MAAC. However, the poor competition should not take anything away from Niagara—the average margin of victory during that stretch was 16.7 points.

Niagara is led by rookie studs Juan'ya Green, who is No. 2 among the nation's freshman in scoring with 18 ppg. He is backed by a pair of guards—redshirt freshman Antoine Mason (14.9 ppg) and sophomore Marvin Jordan (11.5 ppg).

Manhattan has a few dynamic guards of its own to go up against the Purple Eagles' backcourt.

Junior George Beamon is No. 4 in the MAAC with 16.8 ppg. The Jaspers also have a standout freshman of their own, Emmy Andujar (8.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg). Andujar sat out against Marist with an injury and his status for today's game is uncertain.

Manhattan also has sophomore Michael Alvarado, who has emerged as one of the better point guards in the MAAC.

Here are a few things each team will have to do in order to be successful this afternoon.

Keys for Niagara

Take away the three-point shot

Manhattan is No. 3 in the MAAC, converting 35.7 percent of its three-pointers. Also, the Jaspers have a variety of shooters.

In the conference, Beamon is No. 3 at 43 percent, and Kidani Brutus (38.5 percent) and Liam McCabe-Moran (37.9) both stand in the top 10. However, McCabe-Moran has been in the middle of a cold streak, shooting just 2-of-17 during January.

Despite being streaky, freshmen Donovan Kates and Ryan McCoy are also potentially dangerous shooters.

Niagara has been strictly mediocre defending beyond the arc—opponents are shooting 36.1 percent from long range. But if the Purple Eagles can defend the perimeter well, Manhattan will struggle to find an offensive flow.

Make it a guard's game

Niagara has a slew of terrific guards. Green, Mason and Jordan lead the Purple Eagles in scoring, and Malcolm Lemmons (9.1 ppg) and Ameen Tanksley (8.3 ppg) are right behind and can go off on any given night.

Niagara is clearly outmatched in the frontcourt, so it will need contributions from all five of its main backcourt players.

Keys for Manhattan

No foul trouble for the bigs

Rhamel Brown and Roberto Colonette have the potential to dominate against Niagara, thanks to the Purple Eagles lacking a good big man—no one taller than 6'6" plays 20+ minutes per game.

6'8" Scooter Gillette will likely see some more playing time today, but Brown should be able to handle him despite a small height disadvantage.

The biggest weakness of Manhattan's frontcourt this year has surprisingly not been size or talent, but rather foul trouble. Brown and Colonette have each had at least four fouls in six games this year.

If they have to spend extra time on the bench, it will be easier for Niagara's backcourt to take control.

Torgrim Sommerfeldt

Sommerfeldt saw his first action as a Jasper with two minutes of playing time on Friday night. The Norwegian had been battling knee injuries for the last year and a half, but a strong comeback would be extremely valuable for Manhattan, especially if Andujar will have to miss a number of games with his injury.

Sommerfeldt was reputed as a deadly shooter, and at 6'6" he would give Manhattan some more size in the backcourt.  

Limit turnovers

Manhattan continues to struggle with turnovers, currently the worst in the MAAC with 16.8 per game. Meanwhile, Niagara is No. 4 in the MAAC with 7.9 steals per game.

Takeaways are a big enough problem to deal with, but the Jaspers can absolutely not afford unforced turnovers against the Purple Eagles. 

Stats to know

Manhattan leads the all-time series with Niagara, 43-28, but Niagara has won nine of the last ten meetings. The last time they played was in Niagara, where the Purple Eagles defeated the Jaspers, 66-59.

Brown continues to climb on Manhattan's all-time blocks list. With four blocks against Marist, he now has 120 for his career, just nine behind No. 3 Jamal Marshall ('95).

Niagara head coach, Joe Mihalich, has 241 career wins after beating Canisius on Thursday.

Green passed Tyrone Lewis ('10) for the No. 2 spot on Niagara's freshman all-time scoring list. He currently sits 109 points behind No. 1 Gary Jordan ('81).

My pick: Manhattan 73, Niagara 64

Draddy Gymnasium remained relatively empty as Manhattan College students enjoyed the final days of their winter break. But there was still a good-sized crowd to greet the Jaspers, who were returning home following an upset win at Iona, in a 72-53 victory over Siena on Saturday.

Manhattan (12-7, 5-2 MAAC) came out flat, shooting 1-of-6 from three-point range and committing nine turnovers in the first nine minutes.

Siena (8-9, 3-4) also struggled early on, but the Saints hit a few jump shots to get separation.

The Jaspers would go down by as many as five on a jumper by O.D. Anosike, the nation's leading rebounder. But they then turned on the heat to take a 28-27 halftime lead on George Beamon's three-pointer with nine seconds left.

Manhattan, which has outscored its opponent in the second in 12 of 19 games this year, opened up the half on a 18-6 run. During that stretch, Beamon scored five points while Rhamel Brown scored all six of his points.

Siena couldn't buy a bucket in the paint, and their three-pointers that had fallen in the first half were not dropping in the second half.

The Jaspers would stretch their lead to as many as 24 points on back-to-back treys from senior Kidani Brutus and freshman Donovan Kates.

Manhattan ultimately won 72-53, ending Siena's three-game winning streak.

The Jaspers conditioning once again played a huge part in their win.

Siena played six players for the majority of the game. Although the Saints stuck right with the Jaspers for the first 20 minutes, they already looked exhausted during second half warmups. At that point, they were just going through the motions.

Meanwhile, Manhattan was able to keep its foot on the gas through the final buzzer.

But also it was the Saints' inability to shoot the three-ball that put them at such a disadvantage. They are the worst three-point shooting team in the MAAC and No. 308 in D-I at 29.3 percent.

Manhattan opponents have thrived against the Jaspers' 2-3 zone by draining treys. However, Siena struggled after a hot start from beyond the arc, finishing 4-of-18 from long distance. 

Anosike led Siena with 16 points and 16 rebounds, marking his thirteenth consecutive game with a double-double. In the last 15 years, Tim Duncan is the only D-I player to have a double-double in 15 straight games.

Owen Wignot added seven points while Kyle Downey, Evan Hymes, and Rob Poole added six apiece.

Hymes, who ranks No. 2 among MAAC freshmen in scoring, clearly had an off-night. He missed a few easy chances at the rim and was clearly frustrated throughout the night, ending up shooting 2-of-10 from the field and committing six turnovers.

Beamon led Manhattan with 24 points, his second straight 20-point outing. The junior has now scored in double figures in each of his last 33 games. He is starting to make a case for MAAC Player of the Year, averaging 18.7 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game in conference play.

Brutus was the only other Jasper in to score in double digits with 14 points on four three-pointers.

Brown turned in six points and three blocks while sophomore Michael Alvarado dished out nine assists.

Manhattan's next game will be at Marist (7-10, 2-4 MAAC), which is in the midst of a three-game losing streak.

Follow Jesse Kramer on Twitter @Jesse_Kramer for more college basketball news and information.

The Iona-Manhattan rivalry is officially back.

Manhattan (11-7, 4-2 MAAC) entered Thursday's matchup as a 13.5-point underdog, and if anything, the spread seemed too small after a lopsided first half.

Iona (13-4, 5-1 MAAC) opened up a 30-13 lead after 13 minutes of play and went into the intermission ahead of the Jaspers, 39-22.

The Gaels shot 9-of-16 from beyond the arc in the first half and were led by sophomore Sean Armand's 12 points. The nation's leader in assists, Scott Machado, dished out nine assists in the first half alone.

Manhattan fought back in the first half and trailed by just 13 points at the 15:12 mark after Rhamel Brown's layup, but the Gaels countered with a run of their own, which was capped off by a Kyle Smyth three-pointer.

But then, the Jaspers turned up the pressure, and the shots started to fall. They went on a 19-4 run to cut the deficit to two points with two minutes remaining. During that stretch, Iona shot just 1-of-12 from the field.

Michael Alvarado then stole the ball from Armand and converted on an open layup to knot the score at 69-69.

Iona controlled the ball in the final minute, but Machado's short-range jumper did not fall. Machado then got his hand on the ball to keep the play alive, and Michael Glover ultimately grabbed the rebound and was fouled by George Beamon.

After missing the first free throw, Glover drained the second, and Iona was back on top by a point.

Out of a timeout, Alvarado missed a well-contested layup, but Brown was there for the rebound. Brown immediately went back up and made the put-back, getting fouled in the act of shooting. Brown, a 57.9 percent free-throw shooter, calmly drained the important free throw to give Manhattan a 72-70 advantage.

The Gaels went to Arizona transfer Lamont Jones on their final possession. Jones drove to his left and, while tumbling to the floor, drained a jumper from the foul line with 3.3 seconds on the clock.

Alvarado sprinted up the floor, and Steve Masiello called for a timeout from the bench with 1.3 seconds to play.

The Jaspers had trouble inbounding from just in front of halfcourt, but Alvarado found Emmy Andujar and tossed a high-arcing lob to the freshman, who was standing just outside the three-point arc with his back to the basket. Andujar spun around and threw up a desperation three-pointer, which banked off the glass and through the net as the buzzer sounded.

The refs went back to the monitor to review the shot, and they ultimately concluded that the shot counted, giving Manhattan a 75-72 win on the road against the No. 1 team in the MAAC.

The Jaspers celebrated on the court, and former coach Bobby Gonzalez, who was in attendance, hugged Steve Masiello, who was his assistant from 2001 to 2005.

Manhattan was led by Beamon's 21 points and seven rebounds. Beamon shot 6-of-13 from the field and 7-of-8 from the foul line.

Brown and Andujar also scored in double digits for the Jaspers—each with 17. Brown also had 11 rebounds and three blocks, while Andujar had six rebounds and shot 5-of-5 from the charity stripe.

As a team, Manhattan turned the ball over just 11 times for their second lowest number of the season.

Iona was paced by Glover's 18 points and eight rebounds. He became the third player in Iona history to score 1,000 career points in fewer than 60 games on a bucket in the first half.

Machado posted a new career high in assists with 16. The senior point guard also had eight points and five rebounds.

Smyth was the only other Gael in double figures with 12 points, while Randy Dezouvre and Jones had nine and seven points, respectively.

With this win, the Manhattan Jaspers proved that they are once again a legitimate contender in the MAAC. They currently stand at No. 3 in the MAAC—a half-game behind Loyola (MD), who plays at Fairfield on Friday night.

The Jaspers enter a stretch of six straight games against teams from the bottom half of the conference on Saturday night. They host Siena on Saturday and then play both Marist and Niagara twice, with a game at Canisius sandwiched in between.

After that stretch, Manhattan will have a rematch with Iona at home on Feb. 4.

Follow Jesse Kramer on Twitter @Jesse_Kramer for more college basketball news and information.

Even with Steve Masiello's mentor and Louisville had coach Rick Pitino in attendance, the Manhattan Jaspers could not pull out a comeback win over Rider (4-11, 1-2 MAAC) on Monday night.

Manhattan (9-6, 2-1 MAAC) defeated Rider on the road in early December, finishing off the Broncs with a 26-13 run over the final seven minutes.

However, the Broncs' trip to Riverdale had a much different outcome. The Jaspers trailed by only four points eight minutes into the game, but Rider pulled away late in the first half to take a 52-35 lead at the intermission.

The Broncs shot 6-of-11 from beyond the arc in the first half.

The Jaspers came out flat in the second half and Rider opened up a 70-46 lead at the 13:20 mark. But despite still trailing by 20 in the final ten minutes, Manhattan made one last push in front of a small, home crowd.

Senior Kidani Brutus drained a pair of three-pointers, and Manhattan got a few other buckets over the next few minutes to stay within striking distance.

After Jeff Jones of Rider threw the ball away, Roberto Colonette's dunk brought the Jaspers within ten points for the first time of the half with just under five minutes to play.

The Jaspers managed to cut the deficit to seven points on back-to-back three-pointers from George Beamon and Liam McCabe-Moran, but they could not get any closer.

With 40 seconds to play, Manhattan controlled the ball down 84-77, but McCabe-Moran's errant pass went out of bounds.

Rider then shot 4-of-4 from the foul line in the final minute while Manhattan missed a pair of desperate three-pointers.

Throughout, Rider was not intimidated by Manhattan's pressure defense.

Although the Broncs turned over the ball 22 times on Monday, they still managed to get plenty of open shots after breaking apart Manhattan's defense.

Even in the half-court offense, Rider was able to find open jump shots against Manhattan's 2-3 zone.

In addition, Manhattan's comeback was hindered by squandering opportunities to easily put points on the board.

The Jaspers missed multiple layups in addition to shooting poorly from the foul line.

Roberto Colonette shot 4-of-9 from the charity stripe, and Rhamel Brown shot 1-of-3.

Senior Novar Gadson led Rider with 21 points, six rebounds, and five assists. He shot 7-of-7 from the foul line and 2-of-2 from three-point range.

Daniel Stewart (15 points), Brandon Penn (12 points, 11 rebounds), and Anthony Myles (10 points) were the other Broncs who reached double figures.

As a team, Rider shot 58 percent from the field, 12-of-22 from beyond the arc, and 18-of-21 from the charity stripe.

The Jaspers were led by Brutus who scored 19 points and drained five three-pointers.

Leading scorer George Beamon had 13 points and five rebounds while Brown added 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting off the bench.

Sophomore Michael Alvarado struggled to score, but he managed to dish out eight assists and swipe two steals.

In addition, reigning MAAC Rookie of the Week Emmy Andujar put together another strong game with 10 points, five rebounds, and four assists.

If this game was a preview for Manhattan's next few games, the Jaspers are in for a miserable next two weeks.

Manhattan takes on Loyola-Maryland, Fairfield, and Iona over the next nine days. These three schools have a combined 7-1 record in the MAAC so far.

The Manhattan Jaspers will have a chance to stretch their winning streak to four games against Hofstra (3-6, 0-1 CAA) on Saturday.

Manhattan (6-4, 2-0 MAAC) has strung together three straight wins, all by double digits, with the most recent one coming over Fordham, 81-47.

They had a solid 3-3 start to the season, including wins over Long Island and Cleveland State. But the Pride had lost three straight games.

Keys for Manhattan

Force turnovers and capitalize  

During its last three games, Manhattan has forced 17 turnovers per game. Manhattan is also averaging 21.3 points off turnovers during that stretch.

Keep the momentum going

The Jaspers have their first three-game winning streak in nearly four years. In addition, they have looked like a completely different team than in the past, dominating their last two opponents.

Manhattan has played with a lot of intensity in the past week, and the recent wins should only lead to even more intense play.

Keys for Hofstra

Play for 40 minutes

In its last three games, Manhattan wore out its opponent in the second half.

The Jaspers broke away from Rider late in the second half for a 71-55 win, turned a seven-point halftime lead over St. Peter's into a 26-point win and then outscored Fordham 45-22 in the second half in their most recent game.

Hofstra's leading scorer, Mike Moore, especially needs to play a full 40 minutes.

Against Rhode Island, Moore scored 17 points in the first half and then only eight in the second half. And against James Madison, Moore scored 20 in the first half and only four in the second half.

In addition to being the top scorer on Hofstra, Moore needs to find more consistency. 

Matchup to look out for—Beamon vs. Moore

Manhattan's Beamon and Hofstra's Moore are both potentially explosive scorers; Beamon is averaging 16.0 points per game, and Moore is averaging 19.8.

Beamon's scoring has fallen slightly since last season, but that is mainly because Steve Masiello instituted a team-oriented offense whereas Beamon was the main man on nearly every possession last year.

If anything, he is a more improved scorer, adding the three-point shot to his repertoire.

Moore has bumped his scoring average up nearly five points after averaging 14.9 points per game last season. The 6'5" guard is also shooting 44.5 percent from beyond the arc.  

Standout Stats

• Brown had four blocks against Fordham on Wednesday, tying Devon Austin and Dave Althaver as the No. 4 shot blocker in Manhattan history with 94 for his career. He is now chasing Jamal Marshall, who swatted away 129 shots in a Jasper uniform.
• Beamon also pushed his double-digit streak to 24 games with 15 points on Wednesday.
• Moore has scored 20 or more points in two of his last three games. 
• Hofstra ranks No. 318 in the nation with 10.1 assists per game.
• Although Manhattan leads the all-time series 37-22, Hofstra has won the last four meetings. 

My Pick: The Jaspers have been red hot recently, and they have also had good experience in close road games. If Manhattan comes out with the same intensity it has had in its last few games, it should be able to pull this one out.

Manhattan 67, Hofstra 64

Tip-Off: Saturday, December 10, 2:00 PM at the Mack Sports Complex.

Follow Jesse Kramer on Twitter @Jesse_Kramer for more college basketball news and information.