Game 23: Manhattan Lady Jaspers (11-11, 6-5 MAAC) at Saint Peter's Peahens (9-13, 5-6 MAAC)
Monday, February 8, 2010-7 p.m.
Jersey City, N.J.-Yanitelli Center (3,200)
TV: None
Radio/Internet: www.spc.edu/athletics
TONIGHT'S GAME
The Lady Jaspers (11-11, 6-5 MAAC), winners of three out of their last four, head to the Yanitelli Center tonight looking to sweep the regular season series with Saint Peters (9-13, 5-6 MAAC) for the second time in three seasons. Manhattan is coming off a 74-53 victory over Siena on Friday night, while the Peahens knocked off Fairfield, 55-41, on Friday. Tonight is the Peahens' "Pink Zone" game for breast cancer awareness.
ABOUT MANHATTAN
Manhattan (11-11, 6-5 MAAC) enter tonight's game looking to move over .500 for the season after a 74-53 home victory over Siena on Friday night. Tonight's game begins a stretch where the Lady Jaspers play three of their next four games away from Draddy Gymnasium. Senior guard Michelle Pacheco, who tallied 21 points in the win over Siena, leads the Lady Jaspers with an average of 15.3 points per game. Pacheco also averages 4.9 assists and 2.9 steals per game to rank second in the MAAC in each category. Sophomore forward Lindsey Loutsenhizer paces Manhattan with 6.5 rebounds per game. She is the team's leading scorer in conference games, averaging 17.1 points in MAAC play. Overall, Loutsenhizer ranks second on the squad with an average of 14.8 points per game. Sophomore guard Kerri White is averaging 8.8 points per game since moving into the starting lineup, during which time the Lady Jaspers are 3-1.
ABOUT SAINT PETER'S
The Peahens (9-13, 5-6 MAAC) have won two straight since their loss to the Lady Jaspers on Jan. 29, including a 55-41 victory over Fairfield on Friday night. The loss to Manhattan is Saint Peter's only defeat in its last four games. Saint Peter's currently sits tied with Siena and Loyola for fifth place in the MAAC. Senior guard/forward Natasha Morris paces the Peahens in scoring, averaging 11.7 points per game. Sophomore forward Jynae Judson ranks second on the squad in both scoring (11.6 ppg) and rebounding (5.9 rpg). Judson also leads Saint Peter's with 2.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Junior forward/center Charlene Riddick is the team's leading rebounder, averaging 6.6 boards per contest. She leads the Peahens with 1.5 blocks per game and ranks third on the team in scoring (9.0 ppg). Riddick also ranks second on the team in steals, averaging 1.8 per game.
MANHATTAN VS SAINT PETER'S ALL-TIME
Manhattan and Saint Peter's have split the last five meetings in the series, including the Lady Jaspers' 66-48 victory at Draddy Gymnasium on Jan. 29. Saint Peter's notched a 56-55 win last season at the Yanitelli Center. The Lady Jaspers and Peahens have met at least once every season since 1978-79, the first year of women's basketball at Manhattan. Saint Peter's leads the series 50-17.
MANHATTAN 74, SIENA 53
After Siena scored the first basket of the game, Manhattan scored the next 22 points to open up a 22-2 advantage, and the Lady Jaspers never looked back en route to a 74-53 victory at Draddy Gymnasium on Friday night. The Saints trimmed their deficit to 13 points, 33-20, at halftime, and got within 12 with 15:09 remaining. However, a Michelle Pacheco three-pointer ignited a 16-5 Manhattan run that pushed the Lady Jaspers' lead to a game-high 23 points, 58-35, with 8:35 left. Pacheco tallied 21 points to lead the Lady Jaspers, while Lindsey Loutsenhizer added 18 points and a team-high six rebounds. As a team, Manhattan shot a season-high 59.2 percent (29-of-49) from the field and a season-high 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from three-point range.