Manhattan-Monmouth Game Notes
Game 11: Monmouth Hawks (1-11, 0-1 MAAC) at Manhattan Jaspers (2-8, 1-0 MAAC)
Tuesday, December 31, 2013-2 p.m.
Riverdale, N.Y.-Draddy Gymnasium (2,520)
Video: JasperVision HD, MAAC.tv
Audio: www.gojaspers.com, www.gomuhawks.com
JASPERS VS. HAWKS
Coming off a 72-56 victory over Canisius in its Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) opener on Sunday, Manhattan (2-8, 1-0 MAAC) concludes its three-game homestand, as well as the 2013 calendar year, this afternoon at Draddy Gymnasium against new conference foe Monmouth (1-11, 0-1 MAAC). Manhattan snapped an eight-game losing streak with that victory. The Hawks, meanwhile, suffered a 68-63 loss to Saint Peter's in their first-ever MAAC game on Sunday afternoon and have dropped four straight.
ABOUT MANHATTAN
The Jaspers (2-8, 1-0 MAAC) snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 72-56 victory over Canisius in their Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) opener on Sunday afternoon. Manhattan is 1-0 in conference play for the third consecutive year. Senior guard Monica Roeder paces the Jaspers in scoring. She averages 11.2 points per game. Roeder also tallies 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per contest. Junior guard Nicole Isaacs contributes 9.1 points per contest and drains 2.5 three-pointers a night. Senior guard Allison Skrec, who had a career-high 19 points in the win over Canisius, tallies 8.3 points per game to go along with a team-best 5.5 assists per outing. She's also tied for the team leadin steals (1.3 spg) with sophomore forward Shayna Ericksen. Ericksen also tallies 7.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest. Up next, Manhattan hits the road for the only time in a six-game stretch with a visit to eight-time defending MAAC champion Marist on Friday night.
ABOUT MONMOUTH
One of the two new members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), the Hawks (1-11, 0-1 MAAC) dropped their first-ever MAAC game, 68-63 to Saint Peter's on Sunday afternoon. Monmouth has lost four straight overall since picking up its only win of the season over Maryland Eastern Shore on Dec. 3. Senior guard/forward Chevannah Paalvast paces the Hawks in both scoring and rebounding. She tallies 13.8 points per game, which ranks eighth in the MAAC, and grabs 5.2 boards per contest. In addition, Paalvast paces Monmouth with 1.8 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.1 blocks per outing. Sophomore guard Jasmine Walker contributes 6.3 points and 4.1 rebounds a night, while sophomore guard Kasey Chambers registers 6.0 points per game and senior forward Shira Shecht adds 5.8 points per contest. Junior forward Sara English ranks second on the squad in rebounding. She pulls down 4.6 boards per outing. The Hawks begin a three-game homestand on Friday night, when they take on Fairfield.
SERIES HISTORY
Although this is the first time Manhattan and Monmouth are meeting as conference rivals, the Jaspers and Hawks have faced each other 14 times previously, including each of the past two seasons. Last season, the squads met in non-conference action, with Monmouth notching a 58-43 victory at the Multipurpose Activity Center on Dec. 28, 2012. The last time the Jaspers and Hawks squard off at Draddy Gymnasium, Manhattan won in overtime, 71-59, on Dec. 17, 2011.
MANHATTAN 72, CANISIUS 56
The Jaspers snapped their eight-game losing streak with a 72-56 victory over Canisius in their MAAC opener on Sunday afternoon at Draddy Gymnasium. Manhattan used a 10-0 run to take an 18-9 lead midway through the first half, then ended the period on a 9-2 rally to extend its advantage to 33-22 at the break. Canisius pulled within nine at 59-50 with 4:02 remaining in the game before Nicole Isaacs sank a three-pointer from right in front of the Jaspers bench to bring the lead back to 12. Katie Reese iced the victory by going 6-for-6 at the free throw line down the stretch, as Manhattan posted a 72-56 triumph to begin conference play with a win for the third straight season. Allison Skrec notched a career-high 19 points, while Monica Roeder tallied 18 points and six rebounds. Nicole Anderson, meanwhile, contributed a career-high 10 points.