MAAC Monday: Stock watch, quick hits, stat leaders, power rankings

This week’s latest edition of MAAC Monday will feature a different look than what you would be accustomed to seeing. Full disclosure: I didn’t cover any conference games this past week, so rather than write an uninformed team spotlight on someone I haven’t seen in recent days, something new will open this newest look at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, and that is a stock watch. Inspired by what Ryan Restivo used to do with his MAAC and America East columns on the former Big Apple/NYC Buckets, this segment will focus on the trends within the MAAC, teams and players who are up and down over the past several games, before transitioning into the latest batches of quick hits around the league, stat leaders and power rankings. Without any further ado…

Stock Watch: Up

Manhattan: Even after a disappointing conclusion to the non-conference season in the form of a double-digit loss to Central Connecticut, the belief around the locker room in Riverdale was that the Jaspers would be a pleasant surprise. Wins against a resurgent Niagara team and on the road at Mount St. Mary’s have stemmed the tide of a three-game losing streak, and interim head coach RaShawn Stores is grinding out games the same way Manhattan did before he assumed the reins of his alma mater. Behind the veteran leadership of Josh Roberts and Anthony Nelson, the Jaspers are positioned favorably in the race for a first-round bye in Atlantic City, and can leave an even stronger impression this coming week if they can take care of business at home against an Iona team beset by injuries to key players, as well as in a pivotal road matchup at Rider.

Patrick Gardner, Marist: The 6-foot-11 big man, who featured heavily in last week’s profile of the Red Foxes, will almost certainly be recognized later today as MAAC Player of the Week after his performance on Marist’s western New York trip mirrored his massive size, but if he keeps this production up, he may soon work his way into the big conversation at the end of the year. Gardner has a long way to go — and Marist will likely need to keep winning for his case to earn more merit — before that can be brought up in serious tones, but scoring 57 points this weekend on 22-of-31 shooting is an almost perfect start in the right direction after he helped the Red Foxes sweep Canisius and Niagara on the road for the first time since 2015 and just the second in program history.

Cruz Davis, Iona: With Walter Clayton, Jr. limited by a thigh bruise over the past week, causing him to miss two games and see minimal action in a third, Davis has been the biggest beneficiary of the uptick in playing time. The freshman, who has already displayed a knack for hitting clutch second-half shots, has averaged 12 points per game in his last four contests, scoring 10 or more in three of those affairs as Clayton continues to work his way back to full health. Davis’ development has been even more of a godsend for the Gaels, whose injuries to Quinn Slazinski and Michael Jefferson have further hampered an already thin bench in a year Rick Pitino has already called the most attrition-laden of any he has presided over through his illustrious career.

Stock Watch: Down

Saint Peter’s: Before the calendar turned to January, the Peacocks sat at .500 in MAAC play after splitting their first four league games. The new year has not been as kind to Bashir Mason’s team, however, as last year’s Cinderella has dropped each of its last five, the three most recent in that span being single-digit defeats. Saint Peter’s, who was locked down in the second half on Sunday against Fairfield, will look to get back on track Friday when it visits Marist, against whom the Peacocks are 7-2 since John Dunne left Jersey City for Poughkeepsie in 2018.

Mount St. Mary’s: Much like Saint Peter’s, the newcomer to the league is dealing with its own dose of adversity, dropping eight of ten since defeating the Peacocks on December 1 in the Mountaineers’ MAAC debut. To make matters worse, Dan Engelstad’s team has not been fully healthy recently, the latest injury woes having plagued Malik Jefferson, which has in turn compromised whatever size advantage The Mount may have possessed down low. It doesn’t get any easier for the Emmitsburg natives, as a trip to Albany is next on the ledger for a Friday night date with Siena.

Allen Powell, Rider: Big things were expected of Powell this year alongside Dwight Murray, Jr. in the Broncs’ backcourt, but the leap forward has yet to materialize for the Philadelphia native, particularly the 3-point shot he used to become an X-factor in Kevin Baggett’s lineup the past two seasons. Since draining three triples against Delaware on December 19, Powell has shot just 6-of-32 from behind the arc, a number that must change for Rider to remain a tough out in conference play.

Quick Hits Around the MAAC

“We had to get gritty. That was my message to the guys. I was able to pick apart the defense and find my teammates, but I have to do a better job taking care of the ball.”

— Anthony Nelson on Manhattan's comeback win at Mount St. Mary’s

“It’s a long season. Obviously, we need to continue to grow, and I really thought the first half of this game was where we lost the game. We played well enough in the second half to win, but when it’s all said and done, we didn’t do a good enough job defending how we needed to defend for 40 minutes, we didn’t do a good enough job attacking how they wanted to defend us.”

— Carmen Maciariello on what went wrong for Siena as the Saints suffered their first MAAC loss of the season Sunday at Canisius

“My guy here always wants the big shot, and even if he misses it, he’s gonna want it again. He’s not giving that up, he’s gonna take the big shot.”

— Kevin Baggett on Dwight Murray, Jr.’s game-winning shot to defeat Iona Sunday, ending the Gaels’ 21-game home win streak

“We needed this game. We’re on a three-game losing streak, we needed to get going. It wasn’t as much about (Iona) and their streak as opposed to it being about us. We’re better than what we’ve played, and everything that I’m reading, everybody’s kind of got us written off at this point. And I know it’s only one game, but this team is better than what we’ve played of late.”

— Baggett on Rider’s sense of urgency and state of his team

“Obviously with a big lead, this is a disappointing loss. You could break it down 100 different ways, but when you shoot 16-for-28 from the (free throw) line, you’re not gonna win. It’s like trading three for one, two for zero, and all we had to do was make free throws and we win the game comfortably, and we did not. We’re banged up, we didn’t make free throws, we’re a very average team right now because of everything we’ve been through.”

— Rick Pitino on Iona’s loss to Rider, who erased an 18-point Gael lead Sunday

“We’re gonna struggle, there’s no way about it. Injuries make every team. You look at the (Los Angeles) Rams, they were Super Bowl champions and they had injuries, and they struggled mightily. We’re gonna struggle because of these injuries. There’s not a whole lot we can do about it.”

— Pitino on the spate of injuries affecting Iona

Scoring Leaders

1) Patrick Gardner, Marist (18.8 PPG)

2) Noah Thomasson, Niagara (18.3)

3) Dwight Murray, Jr., Rider (17.0)

4) Javian McCollum, Siena (16.5)

5) Daniss Jenkins, Iona (16.4)

6) Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona (15.6)

7) Anthony Nelson, Manhattan (15.5)

8) Walter Clayton, Jr., Iona (15.2)

9) Jackson Stormo, Siena (14.5)

10) Jalen Benjamin, Mount St. Mary’s (14.3)

Rebounding Leaders

1) Josh Roberts, Manhattan (9.2 RPG)

2) Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona (8.6)

3) Supreme Cook, Fairfield (8.4)

4) Paul Otieno, Quinnipiac (7.5)

5) Mervin James, Rider (7.0)

6) Malik Jefferson, Mount St. Mary’s (6.9)

7) Patrick Gardner, Marist (6.5)

8) Jared Billups, Siena (6.4)

9) George Tinsley, Mount St. Mary’s (6.2)

10) Ike Nweke, Quinnipiac (6.1)

Assist Leaders

1) Daniss Jenkins, Iona (4.7 APG)

2) Javian McCollum, Siena (4.1)

3) Latrell Reid, Saint Peter’s (3.9)

4) Anthony Nelson, Manhattan (3.9)

5) Jalen Benjamin, Mount St. Mary’s (3.9)

6) Luis Kortright, Quinnipiac (3.8)

7) Dezi Jones, Quinnipiac (3.6)

8) Noah Thomasson, Niagara (3.4)

9) Dwight Murray, Jr., Rider (3.1)

10) Savion Lewis, Quinnipiac (3.0)

Field Goal Percentage Leaders

1) Josh Roberts, Manhattan (.753)

2) Corey Washington, Saint Peter’s (.742)

3) Paul Otieno, Quinnipiac (.630)

4) Jackson Stormo, Siena (.561)

5) Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona (.552)

6) Supreme Cook, Fairfield (.547)

7) Malik Jefferson, Mount St. Mary’s (.547)

8) Berrick JeanLouis, Iona (.520)

9) Patrick Gardner, Marist (.520)

10) Mervin James, Rider (.482)

Free Throw Percentage Leaders

1) Walter Clayton, Jr., Iona (.978)

2) Mervin James, Rider (.872)

3) Dezi Jones, Quinnipiac (.850)

4) Javian McCollum, Siena (.844)

5) Caleb Fields, Fairfield (.840)

6) Jalen Benjamin, Mount St. Mary’s (.818)

7) Jackson Stormo, Siena (.800)

8) Dwight Murray, Jr., Rider (.776)

9) Isiah Dasher, Saint Peter’s (.761)

10) Daniss Jenkins, Iona (.755)

3-Point Field Goal Percentage Leaders

1) Bryce Moore, Niagara (.459)

2) Andrew Platek, Siena (.448)

3) Walter Clayton, Jr., Iona (.410)

4) Jalen Benjamin, Mount St. Mary’s (.408)

5) Nick Brennen, Manhattan (.404)

6) Jamir Moultrie, Canisius (.402)

7) Dwight Murray, Jr., Rider (.394)

8) Javon Cooley, Marist (.394)

9) Dezi Jones, Quinnipiac (.392)

10) Noah Thomasson, Niagara (.386)

Steal Leaders

1) Anthony Nelson, Manhattan (2.2 SPG)

2) Luis Kortright, Quinnipiac (1.6)

3) Latrell Reid, Saint Peter’s (1.5)

T-4) Walter Clayton, Jr., Iona (1.4)

T-4) Caleb Fields, Fairfield (1.4)

Blocked Shot Leaders

1) Josh Roberts, Manhattan (2.3 BPG)

2) Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona (1.7)

3) Jackson Stormo, Siena (1.6)

4) Osborn Shema, Iona (1.4)

5) Berrick JeanLouis, Iona (1.3)

Power Rankings

1) Siena (12-6, 6-1 MAAC)

Last Week: 1

Last Game: Sunday 1/15 at Canisius (L 66-62)

Next Game: Friday 1/20 vs. Mount St. Mary’s, 7 p.m.

2) Iona (12-6, 5-2 MAAC)

Last Week: 2

Last Game: Sunday 1/15 vs. Rider (L 70-67)

Next Game: Friday 1/20 at Manhattan, 7 p.m.

3) Quinnipiac (14-5, 5-3 MAAC)

Last Week: 3

Last Game: Sunday 1/15 at Mount St. Mary’s (W 58-51)

Next Game: Sunday 1/22 vs. Canisius, 2 p.m.

4) Rider (7-9, 4-3 MAAC)

Last Week: 5

Last Game: Sunday 1/15 at Iona (W 70-67)

Next Game: Friday 1/20 vs. Niagara, 7 p.m.

5) Manhattan (6-10, 4-3 MAAC)

Last Week: 6

Last Game: Friday 1/13 at Mount St. Mary’s (W 62-57)

Next Game: Friday 1/20 vs. Iona, 7 p.m.

6) Niagara (9-8, 4-4 MAAC)

Last Week: 4

Last Game: Sunday 1/15 vs. Marist (L 66-64)

Next Game: Friday 1/20 at Rider, 7 p.m.

7) Fairfield (7-10, 3-4 MAAC)

Last Week: 7

Last Game: Sunday 1/15 at Saint Peter’s (W 56-52)

Next Game: Friday 1/20 vs. Canisius, 7 p.m.

8) Marist (7-9, 3-4 MAAC)

Last Week: 11

Last Game: Sunday 1/15 at Niagara (W 66-64)

Next Game: Friday 1/20 vs. Saint Peter’s, 7 p.m.

9) Canisius (5-12, 3-5 MAAC)

Last Week: 9

Last Game: Sunday 1/15 vs. Siena (W 66-62)

Next Game: Friday 1/20 at Fairfield, 7 p.m.

10) Mount St. Mary’s (6-12, 2-5 MAAC)

Last Week: 8

Last Game: Sunday 1/15 vs. Quinnipiac (L 58-51)

Next Game: Friday 1/20 at Siena, 7 p.m.

11) Saint Peter’s (7-11, 2-7 MAAC)

Last Week: 10

Last Game: Sunday 1/15 vs. Fairfield (L 56-52)

Next Game: Friday 1/20 at Marist, 7 p.m.