Riverdale, NY (February 12, 2005)- Manhattan outscored St. Peter's 44-29 in the second half to capture a 66-56 victory over the Peahens this afternoon at Draddy Gym. Freshman
Joann Nwafili scored 14 of her 17 points after intermission, keying a 26-8 second-half run that catapulted Manhattan into the lead for good.
The Lady Jaspers (10-13, 6-8 MAAC) trailed 27-22 at halftime, as Tiffany Jones scored 10 of her 17 points in the first half to pace St. Peter's (9-14, 5-9 MAAC). Jones hit a three-pointer with 10:05 left in the first half to put the Peahens ahead, 14-13, a lead St. Peter's would hold for the remainder of the half and the early part of the second half.
However, Manhattan came out firing in the second half, shooting 53.6% from the field (15-28), including hitting three of six from long range. A layup by Nwafili tied the game at 29 with 17:32 remaining, and Manhattan grabbed the lead for good on a three-pointer by freshman Gabrielle Cotrell, making the score 32-31 with 16:03 left. From there, the Lady Jaspers would take a 55-39 lead, its largest of the game, paced by 11 points from Nwafili over just a four-minute span during the stretch. St. Peter's would close to within eight points on a three-pointer by Elina Kalnina with 21 seconds remaining, but it was not enough as Manhattan secured the victory.
Freshman
Caitlin Flood added 15 points for Manhattan (nine coming in the second half), to go along with six rebounds, while senior
Donnette Reed had 13 points and five assists for the Lady Jaspers, who only committed eight turnovers on the day, while forcing 20 St. Peter's turnovers at the same time.
Having played five of their last six at home, the Lady Jaspers will return to action on the road, at Loyola on Friday, February 18, in Baltimore, MD. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m.
