RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Led by career games from Abby Wentworth (Portland, Maine) and Nadia Peters (Bronx, N.Y.), the Manhattan College women's basketball team snapped its two-game skid on Tuesday night. Wentworth had 24 points and a career-high seven steals, while Peters recorded her first career double-double with career-bests of 17 points and 11 rebounds, as the Lady Jaspers (3-3) notched an 83-67 victory over Elon (2-3) at Draddy Gymnasium.
"Abby was great all night," Head Coach John Olenowski said. "She really showed her will to win. And Nadia did everything, both offensively and defensively."
The back-and-forth first half featured two ties and 10 lead changes. Elon took its largest lead of the half when Courtney Medley's jumper made it 17-14 with 11:23 left. Manhattan went in front 18-17 after back-to-back layups by Lindsey Loutsenhizer (North Huntingdon, Pa.), but the Phoenix regained the lead on Tiara Gause's jumper with 9:16 remaining before halftime. A Peters layup then ignited a 6-0 Manhattan run over the next 1:17 that gave the Lady Jaspers a 24-19 advantage with 7:39 left.
Elon scored the next four points to get back within one, but Kerri White (Flushing, N.Y.) responded with a trey on the other end to start a 9-2 run that gave the Lady Jaspers their largest lead of the half, 33-25 with 2:59 remaining before halftime. After a pair of Amber Wall free throws and a Peters layup, Elon ended the half on an 8-1 run to head into the locker room trailing by just one, 36-35.
The Phoenix took the lead on Medley's three to open the second half, and the back-and-forth pace resumed, as the second half featured five ties and six lead changes. The final lead change of the game came midway through the period, when Alyssa Herrington's (Cambridge, N.Y.) long-range dagger put Manhattan up 55-54. That three ball started a 10-0 Manhattan run that gave the Lady Jaspers a 62-54 edge with 6:46 remaining.
Elon trimmed its deficit to three when Julie Taylor's trey cut Manhattan's lead to 65-62 with 4:50 left, but the Lady Jaspers responded with seven straight points to run their lead back to double-digits. The Phoenix pulled back within five on Ali Ford's three-pointer at the 2:08 mark, but Manhattan held Elon scoreless the rest of the way. The Lady Jaspers notched the final 11 points of the game and pulled away for an 83-67 triumph.
Wentworth's 24 points were one shy of her career-high, and her seven steals broke a career-high of six set on Saturday against Sacred Heart. Peters had four blocks and four steals to go along with her 17 points and 11 boards, while Michelle Pacheco (Bronx, N.Y.) just missed out on a double-double of her own with 10 points and a career-high-tying nine assists. Loutsenhizer came off the bench for the first time this season and posted 13 points and four steals. Herrington chipped in 10 points and tied a career-high with seven rebounds. As a team, Manhattan shot 47 percent (31-of-66) from the field, 23.8 percent (5-of-21) from three-point range, and 61.5 percent (16-of-26) at the line. The Lady Jaspers also had 21 steals in the game.
Ford led the Phoenix with 19 points and five assists, and Medley added 14 points. Kelsey Evans pulled down 10 rebounds and Wall posted nine points and nine boards, as Elon outrebounded Manhattan 39-38. The Phoenix shot 44.6 percent (25-of-56) from the field, including 42.1 percent (8-of-19) from downtown, and 69.2 percent (9-of-13) at the charity stripe.
The Lady Jaspers now hit the road for a pair of contests against teams that posted victories in Riverdale last season. Manhattan visits defending America East champion Vermont (4-0) on Saturday at 1 p.m., then takes on Army (4-3) next Tuesday at 7 p.m.
NOTES: It was the first all-time meeting between Manhattan and Elon...The Lady Jaspers improved to 3-0 at home this season...Manhattan won its first three home games for the second time in the last three seasons...After using the same starting lineup in each of the first five games, Manhattan used a different starting five for the first time this season on Tuesday night, as Toni-Ann Lawrence (Elmont, N.Y.) made her first career start in place of Loutsenhizer...The last time five different Manhattan players scored in double figures, six Lady Jaspers reached the mark in an 82-49 win over Rider on Feb. 3, 2008...Peters notched Manhattan's first double-double since Loutsenhizer had 15 points and 10 rebounds against Loyola in last season's MAAC Tournament...Her previous career-bests were 11 points and eight rebounds in the win over Maryland Eastern Shore on Nov. 22...Wentworth's career-high was 25 points in an 84-73 win at Niagara on Jan. 16, 2009...Pacheco has tallied at least eight assists in four of the Lady Jaspers' first six games.
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