Manhattan-Brown Game Notes
GAME #5: Brown Bears (5-0) at Manhattan Jaspers (1-3)
Sunday, November 29, 2015-2 p.m.
Riverdale, NY-Draddy Gymnasium (2,520)
Video: Jasper Sports Network
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JASPERS GAMEDAY
Manhattan (1-3) returns to Draddy Gymnasium for a matchup with Brown (5-0) looking to snap a three-game losing streak. This afternoon's contest starts a span of four games in eight days for the Jaspers. In its last outing, Manhattan suffered a 72-57 loss at New Hampshire on Tuesday night. The Bears, meanwhile, recorded a 71-54 victory over Vermont on Monday. This is the first meeting between Manhattan and Brown in exactly 15 years, as well as the first of two consecutive games against Ivy League opponents for the Jaspers, who visit Yale on Tuesday before beginning MAAC play against Niagara on Friday night.
MANHATTAN BREAKDOWN
After beginning the season with four games in eight days, the Jaspers (1-3) have been off since a 72-57 loss at New Hampshire on Tuesday. Manhattan is looking to snap a three-game skid, as well as posting its first home win of the season. Sophomore guard Amani Tatum is Manhattan's leading scorer. She tallies 12.0 points per game. She's also tied for the team lead with 2.3 steals per outing. Sophomore guard Nyasha Irizarry adds 9.5 points and a team-high 1.5 treys per contest, while senior center Crystal Ross registers 8.8 points and 5.0 rebounds a night. Sophomore center Kayla Grimme, meanwhile, tallies 7.3 points per outing, and she leads the league in both rebounding (9.8 per game) and blocks (4.3 per game). As a team, the Jaspers pace the MAAC with 7.0 blocks per contest. Senior guard Blake Underhill dishes out a team-high 3.5 assists a night. This is the first of four games in eight days for Manhattan, which faces its second straight Ivy League foe, Yale, on Tuesday night.
BROWN BREAKDOWN
The Bears (5-0) hit the road for the first time since their season-opener at Bethune-Cookman. Brown is coming off a 71-54 victory over Vermont on Monday night. Senior guard Jordin Alexander paces three Bears averaging in double-figures with 13.6 points per game. She is also the Ivy League leader with 4.4 assists per outing. Freshman forward Erika Steeves pulls down 12.8 points per contest to go along with a squad-best 8.2 rebounds a night. She also ranks second in the Ivy League in field goal percentage (.595). Freshman guard Shayna Mehta, meanwhile, notches 11.8 points and a team-leading 1.6 treys per game. Sophomore forward Janie White records 6.0 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per outing, while junior guard Rebecca Musgrove tallies 8.4 points and 2.4 steals per contest. Brown, which was picked sixth in the Ivy League Preseason Poll, returns home on Tuesday night for a matchup with Rhode Island.
ALL-TIME SERIES
It's been 15 years to the day since Manhattan last faced Brown in women's basketball. The Jaspers notched an 83-80 victory over the Bears in that meeting on Nov. 29, 2000. The last time the squads met at Draddy Gymnasium, Manhattan notched an 80-39 triumph on Dec. 8, 1999. Brown won the only other previous meeting, 72-68, on Dec. 4, 1983. This is Manhattan's first game against an Ivy League opponent since a 70-60 loss at Cornell on Nov. 20, 2012.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Despite 15 points from Amani Tatum and a double-double by Kayla Grimme, the Jaspers suffered their third straight defeat on Tuesday night, dropping a 72-57 decision at New Hampshire. There were five lead changes early in the first quarter until the Wildcats went on a 10-0 run to open up a 17-8 advantage, and New Hampshire was in front 19-11 at the end of the quarter. New Hampshire led 33-23 at halftime and extended the margin to a game-high 18 points, 45-27, midway through the third quarter. The Wildcats still held a 52-38 edge entering the final period, and Manhattan eventually got within 10 before New Hampshire closed out a 72-57 win. Grimme finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds to go along with five blocks, while Crystal Ross and Nyasha Irizarry tallied eight points apiece.