Manhattan opens MAAC tournament with stranglehold win over Fairfield

Pauly Paulicap’s 18-point, 12-rebound double-double helped Manhattan pull away from Fairfield Tuesday. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — His Manhattan team having lost both of its regular season contests against Fairfield, Steve Masiello referenced a stat in which the team that won the first two matchups against its opposition was victorious 72 percent of the time in the third go-round, a fitting analogy in a city defined by gambling and spins of the proverbial wheel of fortune.

However, Tuesday’s Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament opener was one in which the house did not emerge victorious.

Behind 18 points and 12 rebounds from Pauly Paulicap and a disciplined defensive effort that saw only 25 percent of field goal attempts conceded, Lady Luck smiled upon the ninth-seeded Jaspers, as Manhattan drove away from the eighth-seeded Stags in the second half of a 61-43 takedown at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall.

“I think we were, for the last seven games, just dying to see the ball go in a little bit,” Masiello revealed as Manhattan will advance to the quarterfinals Wednesday to face regular season champion and No. 1 seed Siena for the third time in his nine-year tenure, with each meeting occurring among the tournament’s final eight. “Once one did, we got right back to who we are. I have a lot of faith in them because every day in practice, we shoot the ball really well and I think we’re a pretty good defensive team, so I know we have it in us to do it.”

“We haven’t been doing it when it counts. Some of it is shot selection, some of that was just some luck, but I thought seeing the ball go in early got us going a little bit, and when it was 19-19 at the half, I felt pretty confident we could get a run going early in the second half because of our depth. I thought we did that and wore them down a little bit, and we did a nice job.”

Manhattan (13-17) emerged from a defensive struggle in which it made just seven of the 26 field goals it attempted slightly better than the 5-for-24 clip that Fairfield (12-20) was able to muster. In the second half, Paulicap was able to establish himself more freely against a smaller Stags lineup, closing the door on a comeback.

“They turned up the juice on our guards a little bit,” Fairfield head coach Jay Young said of the Jaspers’ defensive escapades. “They kind of pushed us out a little deeper, and for us, we just didn’t make any shots. We had no answers for Paulicap.”

“He sets the tone for us,” Masiello said of his 6-foot-8 forward. “We follow him. As much as I want to take credit for it, that’s all Pauly and his leadership with this team.”

As Manhattan prepares for a rubber match with Siena, a series in which the home team won each game, Paulicap and Tyler Reynolds both highlighted the need to adhere to the game plan, which will undoubtedly focus on limiting Jalen Pickett, the MAAC’s likely Player of the Year, while also finding a way to neutralize the imposing inside presence of Manny Camper and Elijah Burns. One thing remains certain, though: With a replicated effort of Tuesday’s result, wherein Fairfield shot just 25 percent from the floor, the Jaspers should not be discounted.

“I wrote on the board before our game, Manhattan basketball, we’ve been known for nine years for being a tough team and playing hard,” Masiello said, reminding his team of its roots. “I don’t think we’ve shown that consistently the way I would like or these players would like, but I thought we did that tonight. We got them to take the shots we wanted and I thought we played according to our game plan, and I thought that was a big thing for us.”