Manhattan-Canisius Game Notes
GAME #6: MANHATTAN JASPERS (1-4, 0-0 MAAC) AT CANISIUS GOLDEN GRIFFINS (1-3, 0-0 MAAC)
Friday, December 5, 2014-2 p.m.
Buffalo, N.Y.-Koessler Athletic Center (2,176)
Video: Golden Griffin Broadcast Network, MAAC.tv
Audio: www.gogriffs.com
GAME INFORMATION
Manhattan (1-4, 0-0 MAAC) begins its Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) schedule tonight against Canisius (1-3, 0-0 MAAC) at the Koessler Athletic Center. The Jaspers, who are the midst of a five-game road trip, have dropped three straight. Manhattan is coming off an 82-58 loss at Ohio on Sunday afternoon. Canisius, meanwhile, picked up its first win of the season, an 87-74 victory over Saint Francis (PA), on Sunday. This is the earliest MAAC opener since 2008-09 for the Jaspers, who are playing Canisius in their first MAAC game for the second straight season.
THE JASPERS
The Jaspers (1-4, 0-0 MAAC) start MAAC play looking to snap a three-game losing streak. Manhattan dropped an 82-58 decision at Ohio on Sunday. Junior forward Shayna Ericksen paces the Jaspers in both scoring and rebounding with 11.6 points and 8.4 boards per contest. She also ranks second in the MAAC in field goal percentage (.551). Freshman guard Nyasha Irizarry, meanwhile, tallies 8.0 points per game. She also paces the squad with 1.4 three-pointers per outing. Junior guard Jacqui Thompson contributes 6.8 points and a team-best 3.8 assists per contest, and her .875 free throw percentage is fourth-best in the conference. Freshman center Kayla Grimme adds 6.6 points per game to go along with 7.2 rebounds and a team-leading 1.6 blocks per game. The Jaspers, who are in the midst of a five-game road trip, conclude their Western New York swing with a matchup at Niagara (2-3, 0-0 MAAC) on Sunday afternoon.
THE GOLDEN GRIFFINS
Canisius (1-3, 0-0 MAAC) begins conference play looking for its second consecutive win. The Griffs notched an 87-74 victory at Saint Francis (PA) on Sunday. Four different Canisius players are averaging double-figures in the scoring column, led by 13.3 points per game from junior guard Tiahana Mills. Senior guard Kayla Hoohuli adds 13.0 points per outing, and she also leads Canisius with 2.0 assists per game. In addition, Hoohuli is second in the MAAC with 2.5 steals per contest. Junior forward Crystal Porter contributes 11.5 points and a team-leading 8.5 rebounds per game, while junior guard Emily Weber chips in 11.0 points a night. Weber also leads the MAAC in three-point percentage. She drains 2.0 three-pointers per outing and is shooting .533 from beyond the arc. Her overall field goal percentage of .548 is the fourt-best mark in the league. This is the start of a four-game homestand for Canisius, which hosts Saint Peter's (0-4, 0-0 MAAC) on Sunday.
MANHATTAN VS. CANISIUS ALL-TIME
The Jaspers swept the season series with the Griffs in 2013-14, recording a 72-56 victory at Draddy Gymnasium on Dec. 29, 2013, and a 52-44 triumph in Buffalo on Feb. 13, 2014. Manhattan has won eight of its last nine contests against Canisius. The Griffs' only victory in that span was a 63-47 win at the Koessler Athletic Center on Feb. 22, 2013. Overall, Canisius leads the all-time series 29-25.
OPENING ACT
Manhattan is facing Canisius in its MAAC opener for the second straight season. This is the fourth time overall in which the Jaspers are beginning their MAAC schedule against Canisius, but just the second time in Buffalo. The first was Jan. 4, 1990, when Manhattan was the opponent in the Griffs' first-ever MAAC game. The Jaspers notched a 72-56 victory over the Griffs at Draddy Gymnasium on Dec. 29, 2013 to begin MAAC play with a win for the third straight season and the fourth time in Head Coach John Olenowski's tenure. A founding member of the MAAC in 1981-82, Manhattan had begun its conference schedule with a win just six times in 28 years prior to Olenowski's arrival.
LAST GAME
The Jaspers suffered their third straight loss on Sunday, falling to Ohio by a score of 82-58 at the Convocation Center. After the Bobcats scored the first basket of the game, Nyasha Irizarry hit a three-pointer to put the Jaspers in front. Ohio responded with an 11-4 run to take a 13-7 lead before a Shayna Ericksen jumper brought Manhattan within four at 13-9. However, Ohio countered with a 25-8 spurt to open up a 38-17 advantage, and the Bobcats led 45-22 at the break. Ohio extended its lead to as many as 32 points in the second half, and the Bobcats won by a 24-point margin, 82-58. Ericksen paced the Jaspers with 15 points to go along with seven rebounds, while Jacqui Thompson tallied nine points and three assists. Kayla Grimme, meanwhile, notched eight points and pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds.
DECEMBER IN BUFFALO
This is the first time that Manhattan is opening conference play with the Buffalo trip since the 2002-03 season, which is also the last time that the Jaspers visited Canisius and Niagara in December. Manhattan went 0-2 in Western New York before going 15-1 once conference play resumed in January, including a 13-game winning streak. The Jaspers clinched their only MAAC regular season title before going on to win the MAAC Tournament that season.
