Manhattan-Buffalo Game Notes
GAME #10: BUFFALO BULLS (5-3) AT MANHATTAN JASPERS (1-8)
Friday, December 19, 2014-7 p.m.
Riverdale, N.Y.-Draddy Gymnasium (2,520)
Video: JasperVision
Audio: www.gojaspers.com, www.ubbulls.com
GAME INFORMATION
Manhattan (1-8) continues its eight-game homestand tonight against Buffalo (5-3) at Draddy Gymnasium. The Jaspers, who are looking to snap a seven-game skid, dropped a 60-52 decision to American on Wednesday night. Buffalo brings a three-game winning streak into the contest. On Monday night, the Bulls notched a 51-44 victory over St. Bonaventure. This is just the second-ever meeting between the schools, and the first in Riverdale. Following the game, Manhattan takes a week-long holiday break before concluding non-conference play against New Hampshire.
THE JASPERS
The Jaspers (1-8) began their school-record eight-game homestand with a 60-52 loss to American on Wednesday night. It was Manhattan's seventh straight defeat. Junior forward Shayna Ericksen paces the Jaspers in both scoring and rebounding. She tallies 10.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Freshman guard Nyasha Irizarry contributes 7.1 points a night, while freshman guard Taylor Williams tallies 5.8 points per contest. Freshman center Kayla Grimme notches 5.7 points per game to go along wiht 6.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks a night. Junior guard Jacqui Thompson, meanwhile, distributes 2.8 assists per outing and is shooting .850 at the free throw line. Senior forward Ashley Stec, who will be appearing in her 100th career game this evening, boasts a free throw percentage of .889. After taking a week off for the holidays, the Jaspers return to action on Sunday, Dec. 28, when New Hamsphire comes to Draddy Gymnasium for the final non-conference game of the season.
THE BULLS
Buffalo (5-3) comes into the contest on a three-game winning streak. The Bulls recorded a 51-44 victory over St. Bonaventure on Monday night. Four different Bulls are averaging double-figures in the scoring column, le by sophomore forward Alexus Malone, who is averaging a double-double this season. She tallies 13.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per contest. Junior guard Mackenzie Loesing and senior forward Kristen Sharkey contribute 11.5 points per game apiece, and Sharkey also pulls down 6.8 rebounds per outing. She also leads the team with 2.4 steals per contest. Senior center/forward Christa Baccas adds 10.5 points and 8.0 rebounds a night to go along with a team-best 3.3 blocks per game. Junior guard Karin Moss, meanwhile, distributes 2.4 assists per contest to lead the squad. Buffalo, which was picked first in the Mid-American Conference East Division, remains in the New York area for a matchup with LIU Brooklyn on Sunday.
MANHATTAN VS. BUFFALO ALL-TIME
The Jaspers are facing the Bulls for just the second time in program history. In the only previous meeting, Buffalo notched a 61-45 victory over Manhattan on Nov. 18, 2006 at the St. Bonaventure Shootout in Elmira, N.Y. The Jaspers are 0-1 against members of the Mid-American Conference this season, falling to Ohio, while Buffalo is 1-1 against the MAAC, having beaten Niagara and lost to Siena.
LAST GAME
On Wednesday night, the Jaspers began their eight-game homestand with a 60-52 loss to American at Draddy Gymnasium. Manhattan rallied from 17-8 down to force a 24-24 tie at halftime, then scored the first basket of the second half to go up 26-24. The Eagles responded with a 22-9 run to open up a 53-39 advantage with 5:42 left. However, Taylor Williams then drained a three-pointer to start a 14-2 Manhattan rally, and the Jaspers pulled within three at 55-52 on a Nyasha Irizarry trey at the 2:16 mark. American scored the final five points of the game, though, to post a 60-52 victory. Irizarry led Manhattan with 12 points to go along with five rebounds, while Williams finished with a career-high 11 points. Ashley Stec distributed a career-high six assists, and Kylla Champagne grabbed a team-high six boards.
FUN FACT
Sal Buscaglia, Manhattan's all-time leader in winning percentage, is Buffalo's all-time winningest head acoach. Buscaglia was the head coach of the Bulls from 1990-98 and compiled a 155-71 record in eight seasons. He then put together a 79-65 mark in five seasons as the Jaspers' mentor from 1998-2003 Buscaglia was named the 2002-03 MAAC Coach of the Year after leading Manhattan to the MAAC regular season and tournament titles, as well as an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
