Manhattan will go on the road for the first time since the end of January when it travels to Iona on Friday night. The Jaspers went 2-1 in their three-game homestand, beating Siena and St. Peter’s. Iona is riding a five-game winning streak and is tied with Rider atop the MAAC standings.
Manhattan got off to a slow start this season, losing 13 of its first 19 games, with six of those setbacks coming in conference play. The Jaspers have won three of their four games since then, picking up a pair of overtime wins against Canisius and Siena to kickstart the stretch. They lost a home game to Rider as 2.5-point underdogs, but they bounced back with a 68-52 win over St. Peter’s as 2-point favorites. Manhattan has covered the spread in three of its last four games and in seven of its last nine overall. The Jaspers have only won three of the last 15 meetings between these teams, but they have covered in four of the last five matchups.
So nice let's play it twice!
@th3jewell finishing the @_sstewart4 lob! #JasperNation pic.twitter.com/eHGtctAuvl
— Manhattan Basketball (@JaspersMBB) February 14, 2023
They have been one of the worst offensive teams in college basketball this season, ranked No. 311 in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency ratings. Manhattan is No. 314 in turnover rate and No. 258 in offensive rebounding percentage. It has also struggled to convert from the free-throw line, knocking down just 67.0% of its attempts. The Jaspers are facing an Iona defense that is outstanding, ranked No. 19 in field goal percentage and No. 43 in turnover rate. Senior guard Ant Nelson leads Manhattan with 15.1 points, 4.6 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game. Senior guard Samir Stewart is averaging 14.0 points, while senior forward Josh Roberts is adding 12.2 points and 9.5 rebounds.
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