Manhattan-New Hampshire Game Notes
GAME #11: NEW HAMPSHIRE WILDCATS (7-3) AT MANHATTAN JASPERS (1-9)
Sunday, December 19, 2014-2 p.m.
Riverdale, N.Y.-Draddy Gymnasium (2,520)
Video: JasperVision
Audio: www.gojaspers.com
GAME INFORMATION
After a nine-day holiday break, the Jaspers (1-9) return to action this afternoon by welcoming New Hampshire (7-3) to Draddy Gymnasium for their final non-conference tilt of the season. Manhattan is looking to snap an eight-game losing streak. In their last contest, the Jaspers fell to Buffalo, 68-58, on Dec. 19. New Hampshire has won two straight and four of its last five. On Monday, the Wildcats defeated Northeastern, 63-62, on a buzzer beater. This is the third of a program-record eight straight home games for the Jaspers.
THE JASPERS
Manhattan (1-9) is playing its first game since a 68-58 loss to Buffalo on Dec. 19. It was the Jaspers' eighth straight defeat. Freshman guard Nyasha Irizarry sank four three-pointers against Buffalo, and she leads the team with 1.7 treys per contest. Irizarry is also second on the squad in scoring, averaging 8.0 points per game. Junior forward Shayna Ericksen pacees the Jaspers with 9.2 points per game, and she also pulls down a team-high 7.0 rebounds a night. She also boasts a .506 field goal percentage, the third-best mark in the MAAC. Freshman center Kayla Grimme grabs 6.6 boards per outing to go along with 1.9 blocks per game, while junior guard Jacqui Thompson distributes 2.7 assists per contest and is shooting .850 at the free throw line. This is the final non-conference contest of the season for Manhattan, which continues its school-record eight-game homestand against Canisius on Friday. The Griffs posted a 55-44 victory over the Jaspers on Dec. 5.
THE WILDCATS
The Wildcats (7-3) picked up their second straight win on Monday afternoon, a buzzer-beating 63-62 victory at Northeastern. Junior guard Elizabeth Belanger leads the Wildcats in scoring. She averages 16.1 points per game. She's also third on the squad with 6.4 rebounds per contest. Senior forward Kaylee Kilpatrick tallies 11.7 points and 6.5 boards per outing, and her .506 field goal percentage is the best mark on the squad. Her 1.3 blocks per game are also a team-high. Senior guard Ariel Gaston, meanwhile, pulls down a squad-leading 7.1 rebounds per game to go along with 10.5 points a night. She also paces the Wildcats with 3.1 assists and 1.6 steals per contest. Freshman guard Aliza Simpson drains 1.1 three-pointers per game and is shooting .458 from beyond the arc. She also tallies 2.6 assists per outing. New Hampshire has one game remaining before the start of America East play. The Wildcats host Bryant on Wednesday afternoon.
MANHATTAN VS. NEW HAMPSHIRE ALL-TIME
This is the seventh all-time meeting between Manhattan and New Hampshire, with the series tied at 3-3. The last time the Jaspers faced the Wildcats, New Hampshire came away with a 57-42 victory in Durham on Dec. 9, 2011. Manhattan notched a 68-51 win on Dec. 3, 2010 in the last meeting at Draddy Gymnasium. The first meeting between the squads was in the 1983 ECAC Tournament.
LAST GAME
Manhattan suffered a 68-58 loss to Buffalo at Draddy Gymnasium on Dec. 19. After a 6-2 Manhattan run brought the Jaspers within two at 19-17 with 1:11 left in the first half, the Bulls ended the period by scoring eight straight points to increase their lead to 27-17. Buffalo extended the margin to a game-high 19 points, 53-34, midway through the second half before a 17-7 Manhattan spurt got the Jaspers within nine, 60-51. However, that's as close as it would get the rest of the way, as Buffalo held on for a 68-58 triumph. Nyasha Irizarry drained four three-pointers for the second consecutive game and finished with a career-high 16 points to go along with five assists and three steals. Kayla Grimme just missed a double-double, recording 10 points and nine rebounds, while Taylor Williams and Maeve Parahus tallied nine points apiece.
AULD LANG SYNE
This is Manhattan's final game of the 2014 calendar year. The Jaspers have ended the year with a win four times in John Olenowski's first five seasons as head coach, with all four of those victories coming in Riverdale. The lone year-ending loss under Olenowski came in the only road game, when Manhattan dropped a 58-43 decision at Monmouth on Dec. 28, 2012. Last season, the Jaspers beat the Hawks, 65-59, at Draddy Gymnasium on New Year's Eve.
