Manhattan-Siena Game Notes
Game 30 (MAAC Tournament, 1st Round): #10 Siena Saints (8-21) vs. #7 Manhattan Jaspers (9-20)
Thursday, March 6, 2014-11:30 a.m. (approx.)
Springfield, Mass.-MassMutual Center (7,079)
Video: None
Audio: www.gojaspers.com, www.sienasaints.com
JASPERS VS. SAINTS
Manhattan (9-20) opens the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournament this afternoon with a matchup against Siena (8-21) at the MassMutual Center. The Jaspers earned the No. 7 seed in the tournament after going 8-12 in conference play, while the 10th-seeded Saints went 3-17 in MAAC games. Manhattan dropped its regular season finale, 86-78, against Quinnipiac at Draddy Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon. Siena concluded the regular season with an 80-57 loss at Monmouth on Sunday.
ABOUT MANHATTAN
After being picked 10th in the MAAC Preseason Coaches Poll, the Jaspers (9-20) posted an 8-12 conference record to earn the No. 7 seed for the MAAC Tournament. Manhattan has dropped three of its last four games, including an 86-78 loss to Quinnipiac in its regular season finale on Saturday. Senior guard Monica Roeder broke Manhattan's all-time record with her 247th career three-pointer in that game. She was named Third Team All-MAAC after averaging a team-high 12.2 points per game during the regular season. Roeder also ranks fourth in the MAAC with 2.1 three-pointers per contest and fifth with 1.7 steals per outing. Senior guard Allison Skrec, meanwhile, ranks second in the MAAC and 18th nationally with 6.3 assists per game. She adds 9.7 points a night. Sophomore forward Shayna Ericksen notches 9.3 points and a team-leading 5.6 rebounds per game, and junior forward Ashley Stec contributes 8.1 points per outing.
ABOUT SIENA
Siena (8-21) received the No. 10 seed in the MAAC Tournament after compiling a 3-17 record during conference play. The Saints have dropped five of their last six and 15 of their last 17, including an 80-57 defeat at Monmouth to conclude the regular season on Sunday. Junior guard Tehresa Coles paces the Saints in both scoring and rebounding. She averages 10.7 points and 5.9 boards a night. Coles also leads the MAAC with 2.1 steals per game. As a team, the Saints lead the MAAC in steals (10.0 per game). Senior guard Kanika Cummings adds 8.8 points per contest and drains a team-leading 1.2 three-pointers per outing. Freshman forward Meghan Donohue, a MAAC All-Rookie Team selection, tallies 8.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, and her .508 field goal percentage ranks fourth in the conference. Junior guard/forward Ida Krogh, meanwhile, hands out a team-best 2.0 assists per game to go along with 7.4 points a night.
SERIES HISTORY
Manhattan and Siena are meeting for the 58th time, and the Saints boast a 37-20 edge in the all-time series. The Jaspers snapped a five-game losing streak against the Saints with a 62-55 victory at the Times Union Center on Jan. 30. Siena won the first meeting between the teams this season, 82-58, at Draddy Gymnasium on Jan. 5. This marks the seventh time that the Jaspers and Saints are squaring off in the MAAC Tournament, and the all-time postseason series is knotted at 3-3. Siena notched a 34-33 triumph when the teams met in the 2012 MAAC quarterfinals. The Jaspers defeated the Saints 65-57 in the 2003 MAAC Championship Game for their most recent conference championship.
QUINNIPIAC 86, MANHATTAN 78
Monica Roeder set Manhattan's all-time three-point record in her final game at Draddy Gymnasium, but the Jaspers dropped their regular season finale, 86-78, to Quinnipiac on Saturday afternoon. After Quinnipiac took a 34-30 halftime lead, Roeder tied the score at 37-37 with her record-tying trey two minutes into the second half. However, the Bobcats responded with a 9-2 run to open up a 46-39 advantage. The Bobcats were leading 72-59 when Roeder broke Tiffany Schettig's record with 5:54 remaining and held on for an 86-78 victory.Roeder finished with a game-high 19 points, while Nicole Isaacs added 18 points. Ashley Stec tallied 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds, and Shayna Ericksen contributed 13 points. Allison Skrec, who was also playing in her final home game in a Manhattan uniform, dished out a career-high 11 assists.
SEASON SERIES
Jan. 5 (Draddy Gymnasium)-Siena 82, Manhattan 58
The Jaspers dropped an 82-58 decision to Siena at Draddy Gymnasium on Sunday, Jan. 5. The first half featured a number of runs by both teams, as there were nine ties and eight lead changes in the opening 20 minutes. With the score knotted at 34-34, Siena went on a 6-1 run to end the half and take a 40-35 advantage into the locker room. Manhattan evened the score at 44-44 early in the second half before the Saints went on a 7-0 rally to take the lead for good. The Jaspers pulled within four at 51-47 on a three-pointer by Maeve Parahus with 12:39 remaining, but Siena outscored Manhattan 31-11 the rest of the way to pull away for an 82-58 victory. Shayna Ericksen finished with 17 points and nine rebounds for Manhattan, while Monica Roeder tallied 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Jan. 30 (Times Union Center)-Manhattan 62, Siena 55
Playing in front of a national audience on ESPN3, the Jaspers snapped a three-game losing streak with a 62-55 victory over Siena at the Times Union Center on Thursday, Jan. 30. Manhattan took the lead for good midway through the first half and extended its advantage to as many as 10 points before Siena ended the half on a 5-0 run to cut its deficit to 26-21 at halftime. The Jaspers pushed their advantage to a game-high 12 points at 59-47, with 1:05 left, and Manhattan sank 10 free throws down the stretch to ice a 62-55 victory. Manhattan outrebounded its opponent for the first time this season, grabbing 36 boards to the Saints' 34. Allison Skrec finished with a game-high 14 points to go along with five rebounds and five assists, while Kylla Champagne notched career-bests of 10 points and eight rebounds. Shayna Ericksen added 10 points and seven boards in the win.
BRACKETOLOGY
Manhattan is seeded seventh in the MAAC Tournament for the fourth time in program history and the first time since 2000. The Jaspers are taking on 10th-seeded Siena in today's first round, marking the second time in three years that they opened the tournament against the Saints. The winner of today's game will take on second-seeded Marist, the eight-time defending MAAC champions, in the quarterfinals at 7 p.m. on Friday. Sunday's semifinal game, which will be broadcast live on ESPN3, is scheduled for 11:30 a.m., while the MAAC Championship Game will take place at 2 p.m. on Monday afternoon and be televised live on ESPNU.