Game 18: Manhattan (10-7, 3-2) vs. Iona (13-3, 5-0)
Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 7 p.m.
Hynes Athletic Center (2,611) - New Rochelle, N.Y.
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Scouting Report
Manhattan (10-7, 3-2 MAAC)
Manhattan earned its 10th victory of the season and moved into a tie for third place in the MAAC with its 53-51 win over Fairfield on Sunday. The Jaspers have been one of the top defensive teams in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference this season as they rank among the league leaders in several statistical categories. Manhattan is second in points allowed per game (64.5 ppg), field goal percentage defense (39.9%), blocked shots (4.8 bpg) and steals (7.9 spg). The Jaspers also rank first in 3-point field goal defense (31.6%) and defensive rebound percentage (68.7%).
Junior guard George Beamon, a Preseason Second Team All-MAAC selection, has performed at a high level this season as he leads the Jaspers and ranks fourth in the conference in scoring (16.4 ppg). Beamon has scored in double-figures in all 15 appearances this season, while leading Manhattan in scoring 11 times. He is second in the MAAC for 3-point field goal percentage (46.0%) and third in free-throw shooting (83.1%).
The Jaspers have gone 7-3 in the last 10 games and during this stretch Manhattan has received solid production from freshman forward Emmy Andujar and sophomore forward Rhamel Brown. Andujar has posted 9.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Brown has 31 blocks in the last 10 contests, going along with a 8.8 scoring average, 6.0 rebounds and he is shooting 58.6% (34-58) from the field in 19.9 minutes per game coming off the bench. Brown leads the MAAC with 42 blocks (2.5 bpg) this season.
Sophomore point guard Michael Alvarado currently ranks seventh in the MAAC averaging a team-high 3.0 assists. Alvarado has started the last 13 games for the Jaspers and is third on the team in scoring with 8.1 points per game.
The Jaspers have several scoring weapons coming off the bench with senior captain Kidani Brutus, along with senior guard Liam McCabe-Moran and freshman guard Donovan Kates. Brutus is averaging 7.6 points per game this season and has knocked down 27 3-point field goals. McCabe-Moran ranks fifth in the MAAC shooting 41.4% (24-58) from beyond the arc. Kates is averaging 5.4 points this season with 14 3-pointers.
Iona (13-3, 5-0 MAAC)
Iona is off to a 13-3 overall record and stands in first place in the MAAC with a perfect
5-0 mark. Iona, the MAAC preseason favorite, has averaged a 24-point margin of victory in league contests this season. The Gaels are on a three game winning streak and have won six of its last seven contests. The Gaels only loss in the last 30 days came at Hofstra on Dec. 29 when Iona fell 83-75.
The Gaels lead the MAAC averaging 85.9 points per game and rank first with a 50.4% field goal percentage. Iona has a plethora of talent and are led in scoring by senior forward Mike Glover who is second in the MAAC with 19.0 points per game.
Iona's backcourt features senior guard Scott Machado who is one of the top assist leaders in NCAA Division I with 10.1 assists per game, going along with a 13.4 scoring average. Lamont Jones, a junior transfer from Arizona, is the third Gael averaging double-figures with 15.0 points per game. Jones has 27 3-point field goals this season. Sophomore guard Sean Armand is the Gaels top shooting threat from downtown as he leads the conference in 3-point field goal percentage (47.9%, 35-73).
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