Manhattan-Fairfield Game Notes
GAME #23: MANHATTAN JASPERS (2-20, 1-12 MAAC) AT FAIRFIELD STAGS (10-13, 9-5 MAAC)
Wednesday, February 11, 2015-7 p.m.
Fairfield, Conn.-Alumni Hall (2,479)
Video: MAAC.tv, FairfieldStags.tv
Audio: www.fairfieldstags.com
GAME INFORMATION
Manhattan (2-20, 1-12 MAAC) begins a two-game road trip tonight with a visit to Alumni Hall to start the season series with Fairfield (10-13, 9-5 MAAC). The Jaspers have dropped nine straight, including a 68-58 home loss to Saint Peter's on Saturday afternoon. Fairfield had a three-game winning streak snapped with a 66-56 defeat at Niagara on Saturday. The Stags are currently tied with Iona for third place in the MAAC standings. After tonight's contest, Manhattan plays just once in the next eight days before ending the season with five games in 10 days.
THE JASPERS
The Jaspers (2-20, 1-12 MAAC), who are looking to snap a nine-game skid, are coming off a 68-58 loss to Saint Peter's on Saturday. Junior forward Shayna Ericksen paces Manhattan with 9.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, while freshman guard Nyasha Irizarry tallies 7.8 points per contest. Irizarry also records 2.3 assists and a team-best 1.6 three-pointers per outing. Freshman guard Taylor Williams contributes 7.0 points a night, while freshman center Kayla Grimme notches 6.5 points and 6.4 boards per game. She also ranks fifth in the MAAC with 1.6 blocks per contest. Junior guard Blake Underhill hands out a squad-high 2.7 assists per outing, with junior guard Jacqui Thompson adding 2.5 assists per game. The Jaspers hit the road for the second straight contest and the sixth time in an eight-game span on Sunday afternoon, when they visit Rider at 1 p.m. Manhattan defeated the Broncs, 55-52, at Draddy Gymnasium on Jan. 4.
THE STAGS
Fairfield (10-13, 9-5 MAAC) had its three-game winning streak halted with a 66-56 loss at Niagara on Saturday. Junior forward Kristin Schatzlein leads the Stags with 12.3 points and 2.2 three-pointers per game to go along with 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals per outing. Schatzlein also has a three-point percentage of .349 and an .833 free throw percentage. Sophomore forward Casey Smith tallies 12.2 points per contest, while freshman forward Samantha Cooper notches 7.8 points and a team-leading 6.8 rebounds a night. Cooper ranks sixth in the MAAC in rebounding. Sophomore forward Kelsey Carey, meanwhile, boasts a .475 field goal percentage, the third-best mark in the conference. Senior guard Felicia DaCruz distributes 3.7 assists per outing to lead the team. This is the start of a four-game homestand for the Stags, who welcome Canisius to Webster Bank Arena for a matchup that will be broadcast by ESPN3 on Friday.
MANHATTAN VS. FAIRFIELD ALL-TIME
Manhattan has faced Fairfield more than any other opponent in program history. This is the 79th all-time meeting between the schools, with the Stags leading the series 42-36. Fairfield has won six consecutive games against Manhattan, including both matchups last season. The Stags notched a 58-49 victory at Draddy Gymnasium on Jan. 9, 2014 and a 73-52 triumph at Alumni Hall on Feb. 21, 2014. The Jaspers' last win over Fairfield was a 53-44 decision in Riverdale on Feb. 25, 2011.
LAST GAME
The Jaspers fell to Saint Peter's by a 66-56 count at Draddy Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon. Manhattan scored the first five points of the game and used a 15-7 run to open up a 22-15 advantage with 4:23 left in the first half. The Jaspers led 25-24 at the break, but Saint Peter's pulled in front 35-30 early in the second half. Manhattan regained the lead when a Kayla Grimme offensive rebound and put back made it 42-40. However, the Peacocks responded with eight of the next 10 points to go up 48-44. After the Jaspers evened the score again at 49-49, Saint Peter's went ahead for good. The Peacocks opened up a lead of 12 points before a Taylor Williams layup at the buzzer cut the final margin to 10 points, 68-58. Grimme led Manhattan with 11 points, while Nyasha Irizarry and Ashley Stec contributed 10 points apiece.