Seton Hall 74, Manhattan 62: 5 Jasper Observations

Zane Waterman led Manhattan and all scorers with 18 points in Jaspers' non-conference finale, a 74-62 loss at Seton Hall. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

NEWARK, NJ -- Manhattan's last hurdle before Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play begins next Saturday ended in a 74-62 setback at the hands of a nationally ranked Seton Hall team that the Jaspers had kept pace with for the opening part of the first half before a 13-0 run by the Pirates in which seven turnovers were committed in a span of five minutes changed the game and ultimately placed the visitors into a hole from which they would never recover. Before the Jaspers welcome Fairfield and the MAAC season into Draddy Gymnasium, we send you off into the holidays with a handful of pre-Christmas observations from today's proceedings in the Garden State:

1) Passing, but needs improvement.

That would be the best way to describe Manhattan's performance in the non-conference season if a grade were to be distributed to how the Jaspers have gone about their business in the first two months of the year, a stretch that began with victories at home against St. Francis Brooklyn and Harvard and also included a courageous performance against Towson in the Belfast Classic before returning stateside to score wins over Morgan State and Hofstra.

"I think we're at about a C-plus right now," head coach Steve Masiello candidly stated. "I don't think we've been average, I don't think we've been great. I think we've gotten better every time out. Our best basketball is ahead of us, but then again in the same breath, I don't know if I'd want to be playing A-basketball right now. Now it's about going to win a conference championship and advance into postseason play and the NCAA Tournament. That's our mindset, and hopefully these twelve games got us ready for that. But I was very proud of our guys and the way they represented us."

2) Patrick Strzala's first coming-out party.

The freshman from Bayonne saw significant action, playing 20 minutes and collecting six points on a pair of three-pointers. As a freshman on a team where four of its top five players are seniors, not much is expected right away from the swingman, but his performance Saturday was an encouraging sign for a player that his coach has compared to the program's most prolific outside shooter.

"I say it all the time: Fish swim, squirrels climb trees, shooters shoot," Masiello said when discussing Strzala's progression. "For some reason, he's getting confused that fish climb trees and squirrels swim. He just needs to shoot the ball and relax, and when he does, I think he's very good, very similar to Shane Richards."

"He actually played more than Shane. Shane had DNPs I think the first seven, eight games, and then against South Carolina at the Barclays Center, he started to get going a little bit. But I think Patrick has a chance to be a guy for us that, I just think, has a very bright future ahead of him."

3) Tying up the loose ends.

The final box score will show 21 turnovers on Manhattan's ledger, a somewhat misleading number given that seven of the giveaways came during Seton Hall's 13-0 run in the first half over a five-minute stretch, with only seven more across the entire second half. Masiello alluded to having to clean up some things heading into the Jaspers' MAAC opener, and this was one in which the remedy was already underway.

"I thought our guard play wasn't very good early with Z (Zavier Turner) and Aaron (Walker)," he admitted. "I thought Z was playing above instead of below the defense. At his size, he should know that as a fifth-year senior. Aaron, I thought, was surprised with the physicality a little bit early. I think it stunned him, and I thought he adjusted pretty well early in the second half of making some plays, and I thought he did a good job of that playing through contact. Once our guards started taking care of the ball and stopped throwing it to them, I thought we did some good things. We finished with 21, but we only had seven in the second half."

4) St. Paul(y) The Apostle.

The addition of Pauly Paulicap has given Manhattan something they have lacked since the departure of Rhamel Brown and Ashton Pankey: A true rim protector who can not only execute the Jaspers' defensive will, but also contribute to the offensive efforts of a front line whose trademark depth and length has caused matchup chaos both in and out of the MAAC. The sophomore only blocked one shot against Seton Hall, but made sure his contributions were not completely wasted by also adding six points and eight rebounds.

"I think we all know, I don't think there's any secret that we've missed a dominant low-post forward since the Rhamel and Ashton kind of days, more on the defensive end than anything," Masiello said. "Now, we have one of the top 15 shot blockers in the country that anchors the back of our defense, and he's only a sophomore. I don't even know if Rhamel was where he was as a sophomore defensively, and offensively, he's had some games where he's put up some good, impressive offensive numbers. He's a difference-maker for us, and I think we're just going to get better with him as he gets more comfortable and gets more adjusted on how to stay out of foul trouble, understanding scouting and little things. I just think he's going to get us better and better every day."

5) A primer on Fairfield:

The Stags, who serve as Manhattan's first MAAC opponent of the year next Saturday night, wrapped up their non-conference schedule at 5-6 after defeating New Hampshire Friday night, and will already have a league game under their belts by the time they roll into Draddy Gymnasium, as they welcome Saint Peter's to Bridgeport on Thursday. Head coach Sydney Johnson has gotten more than even he may have expected from Tyler Nelson, the senior guard and MAAC Preseason Player of the Year who leads Fairfield with an average of 21 points per game. However, a need to further develop the supporting cast still exists, as only Ferron Flavors, Jr. (11.6 PPG) is the only other Stag averaging double digits on the scoreboard. Fairfield's front line has cut down on their foul trouble, but the need for Jonathan Kasibabu to stay out of harm's way will be magnified against the physical forwards Manhattan possesses. Finally, the Jaspers will look to take advantage of a roster that is just shooting 31 percent from three-point range as a unit and still searching for a second marksman to fill the void left by Curtis Cobb and Jerry Johnson, Jr.