Game 14: Manhattan Lady Jaspers (6-7, 1-1 MAAC) at Niagara Purple Eagles (3-10, 0-2 MAAC)
Saturday, January 9, 2010-2 p.m.
Niagara University, N.Y.-Gallagher Center (2,400)
TV: None
Radio/Internet: purpleeagles.com
TODAY'S GAME
Manhattan (6-7, 1-1 MAAC) begins a three-game road trip with its annual visit to Western New York for a showdown with Niagara (3-10, 0-2 MAAC). The Lady Jaspers split their opening MAAC weekend, knocking off Rider, 56-44, and losing to Iona, 79-62. The loss to Iona snapped Manhattan's two-game winning streak. Niagara is 0-2 in MAAC play after road losses to Siena (66-49) and Marist (73-56). The Purple Eagles have lost four of their last five games.
ABOUT MANHATTAN
After playing five straight at home, the Lady Jaspers play their first road game in a month looking to even their overall record at 7-7. Manhattan is 1-1 in MAAC play after knocking off Rider 56-44 and dropping a 79-62 decision to Iona. Senior guard Michelle Pacheco has paced the Lady Jaspers in scoring in each of the last five games and leads the team with 16.4 points per game. Pacheco leads the MAAC with 5.9 assists per game. Sophomore forward Lindsey Loutsenhizer adds 12.8 points and a team-leading 6.2 rebounds per game, while sophomore guard Alyssa Herrington averages 10.8 points and a MAAC-best 2.5 three-pointers per game. Junior guard Abby Wentworth averages 9.8 points per game, and sophomore forward Nadia Peters ranks second in the MAAC in both field goal percentage (.557) and blocked shots (1.8 bpg). Today's game is the start of a three-game road trip.
ABOUT NIAGARA
Niagara has dropped two straight and four out of its last five. The Purple Eagles are 0-2 in MAAC action after road losses to Siena and Marist. Junior forward Liz Flooks leads Niagara in both scoring and rebounding. She averages 15.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Flooks also drains 2.3 treys per contest and is the MAAC leader in three-point percentage (.508). Senior guard Jennifer McNamee contributes 13.1 points per game and is tied for the conference lead with 2.5 three-pointers per game. Freshman Kayla Stroman has started every game at point guard and dishes out a team-best 4.5 assists per game. Stroman also leads the Purple Eagles with 2.2 steals per game. She ranks third on the squad in both scoring (7.9 ppg) and rebounding (4.2 rpg). Senior forward Rachele Folino is second on the team with 4.5 rebounds per game and also chips in 6.9 points per game.
MANHATTAN VS NIAGARA ALL-TIME
After getting swept by the Purple Eagles in 2007-08, Manhattan returned the favor by winning both meetings with Niagara last season. The Lady Jaspers notched an 84-73 victory at the Gallagher Center on Jan. 16, then posted a 77-58 win at Draddy Gymnasium on Feb. 6. Today's game is the 41st all-time meeting between the schools. Manhattan's sweep last season evened the all-time series at 20-20.
IONA 79, MANHATTAN 62
Iona's size and speed proved too much for Manhattan to overcome in the Gaels' 79-62 victory at Draddy Gymnasium on Jan. 5. Iona shot 51.7 percent (15-of-29) from the field in the first half, and held a 41-26 advantage at intermission. After the Gaels extended their lead to a game-high 25 points, a four-point play by Michelle Pacheco sparked a 21-6 Manhattan run that brought the Lady Jaspers back within 10, 63-53, with 5:00 remaining. However, Iona responded with a 13-3 spurt to run the lead back to 20 points and secured a 17-point, 79-62 victory. Pacheco had 18 points to lead Manhattan, while Lindsey Loutsenhizer came off the bench for the third straight game and chipped in 15 points. Nadia Peters grabbed a team-high five rebounds.
