MANNING LOCKS UP ECC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK HONORS FOR THIRD TIME

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (Jan. 13, 2009) - The East Coast Conference recently selected its weekly men's basketball award recipients, and freshman guard Chris Manning (Queens, N.Y.) secured rookie of the week kudos for the third time this season. He won the award for his strong effort against New York Institute of Technology on Saturday afternoon in Old Westbury, N.Y.

In the contest versus the Bears, Manning scored nine points on 4-for-10 shooting. He also added three boards, three assists and three steals in 34 minutes of action. For 2008-09, Manning is averaging 7.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He has also dished out 49 assists and swiped 46 steals.

Furthermore, Manning is ranked in the Top-200 in the country for three different statistical categories. He is second in steals per game (3.8), 107th in assists per game (4.1) and 198th in assist-turnover ratio (1.26). As for the ECC, he leads in steals per game and is fourth in assists per game.

Head Coach Charlie Marquardt and the Lions return to the court this Wednesday when they do battle with league arch-rival Adelphi University at the Center for Recreation and Sport in Garden City, N.Y. The opening tip is slated for 7:30 p.m.