Manhattan-Rider Game Notes
GAME #24: MANHATTAN JASPERS (2-21, 1-13 MAAC) AT RIDER BRONCS (9-16, 6-9 MAAC)
Sunday, February 15, 2015-1 p.m.
Lawrenceville, N.J.-Alumni Gymnasium (1,650)
Video: MAAC.tv, BroncVision
Audio: www.gobroncs.com
GAME INFORMATION
The Jaspers (2-21, 1-13 MAAC) conclude the season series with Rider (9-16, 6-9 MAAC) this afternoon on “Play 4 Kay” Day for breast cancer awareness at Alumni Gymnasium. Manhattan, which is looking to snap a 10-game losing streak, is coming off a 43-26 loss at Fairfield on Wednesday night. The Broncs last played on Friday, when they defeated Monmouth by a 65-55 count. The Jaspers are looking to sweep Rider for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign. Manhattan posted a 55-52 victory when the squads met at Draddy Gymnasium on Jan. 4.
THE JASPERS
Manhattan (2-21, 1-13 MAAC) has dropped 10 straight since beating Rider 55-52 at Draddy Gymnasium on Jan. 4. In their last outing, the Jaspers suffered a 43-26 loss at Fairfield on Wednesday night. Junior forward Shayna Ericksen paces the squad in both scoring and rebounding. She tallies 9.5 points and 6.6 boards per game. Ericksen became the 16th player in program history to pull down 500 career rebounds on Wednesday night. Freshman guard Nyasha Irizarry contributes 7.5 points per contest, while freshman guard Taylor Williams notches 6.9 points per outing. Freshman center Kayla Grimme, meanwhile, registers 6.3 points and 6.4 points a night to go along with 1.6 blocks per game, which ranks fifth in the MAAC. Today's contest is the Jaspers' only game in an eight-day span. Manhattan returns home on Thursday night for its “Play 4 Kay” game against Siena. That matchup will start a string of five games in 10 days to end the regular season.
THE BRONCS
Rider (9-16, 6-9 MAAC) has won two straight and six of its last nine. The Broncs are coming off a 65-55 victory at Monmouth on Friday. Sophomore guard Robin Perkins leads the Broncs with 11.5 points per outing to go along with 2.9 rebounds a night. Senior guard Emily Fazzini adds 9.1 points per game, and she drains a team-best 1.3 three-pointers per contest. Sophomore center Julia Duggan, meanwhile, tallies 7.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, and senior guard Lashay Banks contributes 6.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per outing. Senior forward/center Marritta Gillcrease grabs 7.0 boards per contest to pace the squad and rank fifth in the MAAC. Her 1.8 blocks per game are also fifth-most in the conference. Junior guard Manon Pellet distributes a team-high 3.3 assists a night. She also leads Rider in steals, registering 1.2 per contest. The Broncs begin their final road trip of the season with a visit to Canisius on Friday night.
MANHATTAN VS. RIDER ALL-TIME
This is the 40th all-time meeting between the Jaspers and Broncs, with Manhattan leading the series 28-11. The Jaspers registered a 55-52 triumph when the teams met in Riverdale on Jan. 4 and have won two of the last three matchups between the squads. Last season at Alumni Gymnasium, Manhattan came away with a 50-47 victory on Jan. 16, 2014. The Jaspers are 12-5 all-time at Rider, including a 3-1 mark in Lawrenceville since 2010-11.
LAST GAME
Manhattan had a great defensive effort on Wednesday night, but was unable to get anything going offensively in a 43-26 loss to Fairfield at Alumni Hall. The Stags had a 9-4 lead midway through the first half before Kayla Grimme hit consecutive layups to make it a one-point game, 9-8. After Manhattan pulled ahead 14-13 at the 3:08 mark, the teams traded baskets for the rest of the half, and Fairfield went into the locker room with a 17-16 advantage. The Jaspers took a 20-19 lead early in the second half, but were held scoreless for more than 11 minutes, as the Stags opened up a 38-20 cushion en route to a 43-26 victory. Shayna Ericksen led the Jaspers with six points and 11 rebounds, including the 500th of her career. Ashley Stec had eight boards and four assists, while Grimme pulled down seven rebounds.
RIDER CONNECTIONS
Manhattan assistant coach Christine Sikiric, then known as Catalanotto, graduated from Rider in 2005 and started 56 of 57 career appearances in two seasons with the Broncs, averaging 6.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and a team-high 3.3 assists per game. Meanwhile, assistant coach Brianna Griffin's husband, John, is an assistant for the Rider men's team.
PLAY 4 KAY
Manhattan and Rider are both wearing pink t-shirts and shoelaces at today's game as a part of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's “Play 4 Kay” initiative for breast cancer awareness. This marks the eighth straight year in which all 11 MAAC schools are participating in the event. The Jaspers' matchup with Siena at Draddy Gymnasium on Thursday night will also be a “Play 4 Kay” contest. 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.