Manhattan-Saint Peter's Game Notes
Game 22: Saint Peter's Peacocks (3-18, 2-10 MAAC) at Manhattan Jaspers (5-16, 4-8 MAAC)
Thursday, February 6, 2014-7:00 p.m.
Riverdale, N.Y.-Draddy Gymnasium (2,520)
Video: JasperVision HD
Audio: www.gojaspers.com, www.saintpeterspeacocks.com
JASPERS VS. PEACOCKS
Tonight, the Jaspers (5-16, 4-8 MAAC) continues its three-game homestand by welcoming Saint Peter's (3-18, 2-10 MAAC) to Draddy Gymnasium for their annual “Play 4 Kay” breast cancer awareness contest. Manhattan is coming off a 73-56 loss to Rider on Saturday afternoon, while the Peacocks have dropped six straight, including a 52-40 defeat against Fairfield on Saturday. As a part of the “Play 4 Kay” initiative, each team is wearing pink t-shirts during pregame warmups, as well as pink shoelaces.
ABOUT MANHATTAN
Manhattan (5-16, 4-8 MAAC) continues its three-game homestand looking to rebound after a 73-56 loss to Rider on Saturday afternoon. Tonight is the Jaspers' annual “Play 4 Kay” game for breast cancer awareness. Senior guard Monica Roeder paces the Jaspers offensively with an average of 12.1 points per game. She also notches 4.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per outing, and ranks second in the MAAC with 1.9 steals per contest. Sophomore forward Shayna Ericksen registers 9.6 points and 6.0 boards per game while shooting .532 from the field, the fourth-best mark in the conference. Senior guard Allison Skrec, meanwhile, adds 9.0 points per contest. Skrec, who dished out her 300th career assist on Saturday, is currently second in the MAAC with 5.5 assists a night. Junior guard Nicole Isaacs is the Jaspers' top three-point shooter. She drains 2.0 treys per contest. Manhattan hosts first-place Iona on Saturday afternoon before hitting the road for three straight.
ABOUT SAINT PETER'S
The Peacocks (3-18, 2-10 MAAC) have dropped six straight since a 67-55 victory over Niagara on Jan. 12. Most recently, Saint Peter's suffered a 52-40 loss to Fairfield on Saturday afternoon. Senior forward/center Kaydine Bent is 10th in the MAAC in scoring and fourth in the league in rebounding. She averages 12.9 points and 8.9 boards per game. Junior guard Antonia Smith is also averaging in double figures with 10.0 points per outing. She's also second on the squad with 2.0 assists per game. Senior guard Aziza May, meanwhile, contributes 9.0 points and a team-best 2.5 assists per contest. Sophomore forward/center Hala Mostafa ranks third in the MAAC with 1.6 blocks per game. She also tallies 6.8 points and 3.1 rebounds a night. Former New York Liberty coach Pat Coyle is in her first year leading the Peacocks, who return to the Yanitelli Center for a matchup with Siena on Saturday. This is the only road contest in a five-game span for Saint Peter's.
SERIES HISTORY
This is the 75th all-time meeting between the Jaspers and Peacocks. Saint Peter's holds a 51-23 edge in the series, which dates back to the 1978-79 campaign. Last season, Manhattan began its MAAC schedule with a 73-66 victory over the Peacocks at the Yanitelli Center on Jan. 3, 2013, before Saint Peter's responded with a 60-49 triumph at Draddy Gymnasium on Jan. 27, 2013. With that win, the Peacocks snapped Manhattan's seven-game winning streak in the series.
RIDER 73, MANHATTAN 56
On “Alumni Day” at Draddy Gymnasium, the Jaspers suffered a 73-56 loss to Rider on Saturday afternoon. Manhattan quickly raced out to a 7-0 lead, but the Broncs immediately countered with a 7-0 run of their own. After Manhattan regained the lead at 20-19, Rider ended the first half on a 15-6 spurt to take a 34-26 advantage into the locker room. The Jaspers trimmed their deficit to 11 points early in the second half before Rider used a 14-4 rally to open up a 21-point lead. The Jaspers pulled within 15 at 58-43 with 5:27 left, but would pull no closer, as Rider notched a 73-56 triumph to split the season series with Manhattan. Monica Roeder paced the Jaspers with 14 points, while Allison Skrec tallied 10 points and six assists, including the 300th of her career. Nicole Isaacs added 10 points for the loss.
PLAY 4 KAY
Tonight is Manhattan's annual “Play 4 Kay” game for breast cancer awareness. This marks the seventh straight year in which all 11MAAC schools are participating in the event, which was started by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. In addition, the Jaspers once again volunteered at the Susan G. Komen New York City Race for the Cure at Central Park West in September. The team worked the third water station, handing out water to the 25,000 runners/walkers on the 5K course. It was the 10th straight year in which Manhattan participated in the event.
