Aston Pankey. Photo by: Stacy Podelski/1495 Sports

Fresh off a wire-to-wire win its last time out, Manhattan (6-8; 3-2 MAAC) will host Niagara (3-10; 2-3 MAAC) on Saturday, Jan. 10 with tip time slated for 7 p.m.

QUICK HITS
* Manhattan has won three of the last four meetings with Niagara and leads the all-time series by a 47-31 count.

* At Draddy Gymnasium, the Jaspers hold an overriding 18-10 advantage since the Purple Eagles joined the MAAC.

* Steve Masiello is 4-3, all-time, against Niagara since assuming the head coaching reigns and was 8-2 against the Purple Eagles as an assistant during his first tenure in Riverdale from 2001-2005.

* This year at home, Manhattan is limiting the opposition to just 56.7 ppg and 37.9 percent shooting, including 21.3 percent from deep.

* Senior Emmy Andujar is averaging a team-best 17.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game at Draddy this year while shooting 68.0 percent (17-for-25).

* In the teams’ last meeting, the Purple Eagles’ season-high 72 points came on a 59.5 percent shooting output that marked the worst performance by a Masiello-coached defense.

* It was also the top shooting performance against the Jaspers since Iona made good on 66.7 percent in an 102-65 victory on Feb. 16, 2011.

* Manhattan enters Saturday’s game winners of two-straight and four-of-five after posting a wire-to-wire 68-63 victory over Saint Peter’s on Wednesday, Jan. 7.

* The Jaspers made nine-straight shots to start the game and didn’t miss a field goal attempt over the first 12:50 of the game.

* Thanks its impressive start, Manhattan shot a season-high 50.0 percent (17-for-34) from the field while also converting a season-best 78.9 percent (30-for-38) from the line.

* The Jaspers’ 34 field goal attempts represent a season-low by a MAAC team this season as Manhattan attempted more free throws (38) than field goals (34) for the first time since a 71-70 win at Columbia on Feb. 12, 2013.

* It was also the Jaspers’ second-straight win by five points or less and the third of the season.

* Manhattan has also not allowed an opponent to hit the 70-point mark in a win this season.

* Andujar’s game-high 21 points and junior Ashton Pankey’s 18-point, nine-rebound performance paced an effort that saw the Jasper upperclassmen combine to account for 94.1 percent (64-of-68) of the scoring and 96.1 percent (25-of-26) of the rebounding against Saint Peter’s.

* Andujar’s became the 36th member of the illustrious Manhattan 1,000-point club with his second free throw with 4:50 to play in the second half against Saint Peter’s.

* It also marked the third 20-plus point performance of the season for Andujar as well as the sixth by a Jasper. Additionally, the 21-point performance matches his season-high previously set on three occasions.