Game 17: Fairfield Stags (8-8, 2-3 MAAC) at Manhattan Lady Jaspers (7-9, 2-3 MAAC)
Monday, January 18, 2010-2 p.m.
Riverdale, N.Y.-Draddy Gymnasium (2,345)
TV: None
Radio/Internet: JasperVision (gojaspers.com), fairfieldstags.com
TODAY'S GAME
Manhattan (7-9, 2-3 MAAC) returns home for the only time in a six-game stretch to take on Fairfield (8-8, 2-3 MAAC) in a Martin Luther King Day matinee at Draddy Gymnasium. The Lady Jaspers have dropped two straight, including a 74-57 decision at Loyola on Friday, while Fairfield comes into the game on a three-game losing streak. The Stags fell to Niagara, 52-49, on Saturday afternoon. These teams will meet again on Sunday afternoon in Connecticut.
ABOUT MANHATTAN
The Lady Jaspers return from their season-long three-game road trip looking to snap a two-game skid. After dropping a double-overtime contest at Canisius on Monday, Manhattan fell 74-57 at Loyola on Friday afternoon. Sophomore forward Lindsey Loutsenhizer had a career-high 22 points against the Greyhounds and is averaging a team-high 17.4 points per game in MAAC play. Overall, Loutsenhizer is second on the team in scoring (14.1 ppg) and the team-leader in rebounding (6.5 rpg). Senior guard Michelle Pacheco paces the Lady Jaspers and ranks third in the MAAC with 15.7 points per game. She also averages a league-high 5.3 assists per game and ranks third in the MAAC with 2.9 steals per contest. Junior guard Abby Wentworth averages 2.8 steals to go along with 10.0 points per game. Sophomore forward Nadia Peters ranks second in the MAAC in both field goal percentage (.522) and blocked shots (1.6 bpg).
ABOUT FAIRFIELD
After winning their first two conference games, the Stags have dropped three straight, including a 52-49 home loss to Niagara on Saturday. Senior forward Stephanie Geehan leads the MAAC with 11.3 rebounds and 3.6 blocked shots per game. She is also Fairfield's leading scorer with an average of 13.2 points per game. Sophomore guard Desiree Pina averages 13.1 points per game and dishes out a team-best 2.7 assists per game. Freshman guard Katelyn Linney has won MAAC Rookie of the Week honors three times this season, and she averages 10.8 points per game. Sophomore forward Taryn Johnson averages 8.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocked shots per game, while junior guard Joelle Nawrocki distributes 2.4 assists per game. Today's game starts a span where the Stags play five out of six away from home. Fairfield's only home game during that span is Sunday's rematch with the Lady Jaspers.
MANHATTAN VS FAIRFIELD ALL-TIME
The Lady Jaspers posted a 67-56 victory over Fairfield in last year's regular season finale to snap a four-game losing streak against the Stags. Fairfield won last season's first meeting, 70-51 at Alumni Hall. Today's contest is the 69th all-time meeting in a series that dates back to 1978-79, the first season of women's basketball at Manhattan. The Stags hold a 36-32 edge in the all-time series.
LOYOLA 74, MANHATTAN 57
Manhattan rallied from 22 points down to make it an 11-point game with four minutes left, but was held scoreless the rest of the way in Loyola's 74-57 victory at Reitz Arena on Friday. The Greyhounds jumped out to a 10-1 lead and never trailed in the contest. Loyola led 40-24 at halftime, but the Lady Jaspers scored the first six points of the second half to get back within 10. Loyola increased its lead to a game-high 22 points at 66-44 before the Lady Jaspers went on a 13-2 run to make it 68-57 with 4:09 remaining. However, Manhattan would pull no closer, as Loyola scored the final six points of the game. Lindsey Loutsenhizer finished with a career-high 22 points to lead the Lady Jaspers, while Michelle Pacheco played all 40 minutes and tallied 19 points.