Manhattan-Iona Game Notes
GAME #14: IONA GAELS (6-7, 3-1 MAAC) AT MANHATTAN JASPERS (2-11, 1-3 MAAC)
Friday, January 9, 2015-7 p.m.
Riverdale, N.Y.-Draddy Gymnasium (2,520)
Video: JasperVision, MAAC.tv
Audio: www.gojaspers.com, www.icgaels.com
GAME INFORMATION
The Jaspers (2-11, 1-3 MAAC) continue their eight-game homestand tonight by welcoming Iona (6-7, 3-1 MAAC) to Draddy Gymnasium. Manhattan is looking for its second straight win. On Sunday afternoon, the Jaspers snapped their 10-game losing streak with a 55-52 triumph over Rider. Iona has won two straight, including an 85-75 victory over Canisius on Sunday. The Gaels enter the contest tied for second place in the MAAC, one game behind first-place Quinnipiac, while Manhattan is currently tied for eighth.
THE JASPERS
Manhattan (2-11, 1-3 MAAC), which is coming off a 55-52 victory over Rider on Sunday, looks to win back-to-back games for the first time this season. Junior forward Shayna Ericksen paces the Jaspers with 9.7 points per game, and she also ranks second on the squad with 6.5 rebounds per contest. Freshman guard Nyasha Irizarry, meanwhile, has been Manhattan's leading scorer in four of the last five games. She tallies 8.4 points per contest to go along with a squad-best 2.5 assists per outing. Freshman center Kayla Grimme contributes 6.2 points and a team-leading 6.8 rebounds per game. In addition, she's second in the MAAC in blocks, averaging 1.9 a night. Junior guard Maeve Parahus, meanwhile, drains 1.8 three-pointers per game and is shooting .377 from long range. On Monday, the Jaspers host nine-time defending MAAC champion Marist (7-6, 3-1 MAAC) in the annual “Kid's Day Out” contest, with almost 1,000 students at local elementary schools expected to attend.
THE GAELS
Iona (6-7, 3-1 MAAC), last year's MAAC regular season co-champions, has won its last two games. The Gaels are coming off an 85-75 victory over Canisius on Sunday. Senior guard Damika Martinez, the two-time reigning MAAC Player of the Year, set the conference's all-time three-point record earlier this season. She's shooting .411 from three-point range and drains 3.0 treys per contest. Martinez leads the league and ranks third nationally in scoring with an average of 24.5 points per game. Junior forward Joy Adams is fourth in the nation with 12.7 rebounds per outing, and she also tallies 14.2 points per game. Junior guard Aaliyah Robinson notches 10.9 points per contest, while sophomore guard Marina Lizarazu contributes 9.8 points and a league-leading 6.2 assists a night. Lizarazu also leads the MAAC in minutes played (37.4 mpg). The Gaels return home on Sunday afternoon for a matchup with Saint Peter's (1-11, 1-3 MAAC).
MANHATTAN VS. IONA ALL-TIME
The Jaspers and Gaels have squared off 70 times, and Manhattan leads the all-time series 44-26. Iona took both meetings last season, posting a 70-52 victory in New Rochelle on Jan. 20, 2014, and a 71-67 triumph in Riverdale on Feb. 8, 2014. That was the Gaels' fourth consecutive win over the Jaspers. The last time Manhattan beat Iona was on Feb. 15, 2012, when the Jaspers knocked off the Gaels 59-54 at Draddy Gymnasium.
LAST GAME
Manhattan rallied from a 12-point halftime deficit to post a 55-52 win over Rider at Draddy Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon. The Jaspers trailed 31-19 at the break, but scored the first 11 points of the second half to pull within one. A Taylor Williams three-pointer with 9:42 remaining tied the contest at 39-39 and started a 10-0 Manhattan run that put the Jaspers up 46-39. After a Rider trey made it a one-point game, 53-52, Shayna Ericksen hit a pair of free throws with 2.7 seconds left to increase the lead to three, 55-52. The Broncs' last-second tying attempt was off the mark, as Manhattan snapped its losing streak. Nyasha Irizarry finished with a game-high 15 points and Ericksen tallied 13 points, while Kayla Grimme grabbed nine rebounds and Williams added eight boards.
