Game 19: Manhattan Lady Jaspers (8-10, 3-4 MAAC) at Fairfield Stags (9-9, 3-4 MAAC)
Sunday, January 24, 2010-1 p.m.
Fairfield, Conn.-Alumni Hall (2,479)
TV: None
Radio/Internet: fairfieldstags.com
TODAY'S GAME
Manhattan (8-10, 3-4 MAAC) and Fairfield (9-9, 3-4 MAAC) meet for the second time in six days, wrapping up the season series this afternoon at Alumni Hall. The Lady Jaspers posted a 69-53 victory over the Stags at Draddy Gymnasium on Monday, but are coming off a 64-53 loss at Iona on Friday. Fairfield snapped a four-game losing streak with a 51-45 win at Rider on Friday afternoon. Today's game concludes a span where Manhattan played five out of six contests on the road.
ABOUT MANHATTAN
The Lady Jaspers have lost three out of four, including a 64-53 defeat at Iona on Friday. Today's contest concludes a span where Manhattan played five out of six games on the road. Manhattan's only home game during that span was Monday's 69-53 victory over Fairfield. Senior guard Michelle Pacheco swiped a career-high nine steals on Friday and leads the MAAC with 3.1 steals per game. Pacheco also averages a league-leading 5.1 assists per game and a team-best 15.2 points per game. Sophomore forward Lindsey Loutsenhizer is averaging 17.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in MAAC play. For the season, she leads the Lady Jaspers in rebounding (6.3 rpg) and ranks second in scoring (14.4 ppg). Junior guard Abby Wentworth is also averaging 5.7 rebounds per game in MAAC contests, while sophomore forward Nadia Peters ranks second in the league in field goal percentage (.519) and blocked shots (1.7 bpg).
ABOUT FAIRFIELD
Fairfield snapped a four-game losing streak with a 51-45 victory at Rider on Friday afternoon. Senior center Stephanie Geehan is the only player in the MAAC averaging a double-double for the season. She leads the Stags with 13.4 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. Geehan also averages a league-leading 3.7 blocked shots per game and a team-high 1.3 steals per contest to go along with 2.2 assists per game, the second-highest total on the squad. Sophomore guard Desiree Pina ranks second on the squad with 12.6 points per game, and hands out a team-best 2.8 assists per contest. Freshman guard Katelyn Linney, a three-time MAAC Rookie of the Week, averages 10.2 points per game, while sophomore forward Taryn Johnson contributes 8.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per contest. Today's contest is the Stags' only home game in a five-game span and Fairfield's first contest at Alumni Hall since Jan. 5.
MANHATTAN VS FAIRFIELD ALL-TIME
Monday's 69-53 Manhattan victory was the Lady Jaspers' second straight in the series, which dates back to 1978-79, the first season of women's basketball at Manhattan. The Stags' last win in the series came on Jan. 25, 2009, when they notched a 70-51 victory at Alumni Hall. Overall, this is the 70th meeting between the squads, with Fairfield holding a 36-33 edge all-time.
IONA 64, MANHATTAN 53
After a tight, defensive first half, Iona used a 16-6 run early in the second half to build a cushion en route to a 64-53 victory over Manhattan at the Hynes Athletic Center on Friday afternoon. A three-pointer by Abby Wentworth gave Manhattan a 17-15 lead with 6:55 left in the first half, but Iona responded with a 10-0 run to build an eight-point advantage, and the Gaels led 29-24 at halftime. Iona used a 16-6 run over the first 5:40 of the second half to push its lead to 15 points, and the closest the Lady Jaspers were able to get the rest of the way was within nine, 62-53. Lindsey Loutsenhizer led the Lady Jaspers with 14 points and five rebounds, while Michelle Pacheco notched 11 points and a career-high nine steals. Laura Rivera contributed 10 points off the bench.
