Manhattan-Siena Game Notes
GAME #25: SIENA SAINTS (14-11, 7-9 MAAC) AT MANHATTAN JASPERS (2-22, 1-14 MAAC)
Thursday, February 19, 2015-7 p.m.
Riverdale, N.Y.-Draddy Gymnasium (2,520)
Video: JasperVision
Audio: www.gojaspers.com, www.sienasaints.com
GAME INFORMATION
Manhattan (2-22, 1-14 MAAC) begins a busy span of five games in 10 days by welcoming Siena (14-11, 7-9 MAAC) to Draddy Gymnasium for its annual “Play 4 Kay” contest for breast cancer awareness. Both teams will be wearing pink t-shirts and shoelaces is support of the cause. The Jaspers, who are looking to snap an 11-game losing streak, dropped a 65-40 decision at Rider on Sunday. The Saints, meanwhile, have lost two straight, including a 57-50 defeat at Iona on Sunday. Siena won the first meeting of the season between the teams, 59-51, on Jan. 24.
THE JASPERS
The Jaspers (2-22, 1-14 MAAC) return home for their “Play 4 Kay” breast cancer awareness contest looking to halt an 11-game skid. Manhattan is coming off a 65-40 loss at Rider on Sunday. Junior forward Shayna Ericksen is the team's leading scorer and rebounder. She averages 9.2 points nad 6.5 boards per outing. Freshman guard Nyasha Irizarry notches 7.3 points per contest, and her 1.5 three-pointers and 1.2 steals per game are team highs. Freshman guard Taylor Williams tallies 7.0 points a night, while freshman center Kayla Grimme contributes 6.5 points and 6.4 rebounds an outing. Grimme also paces the Jaspers with 1.5 blocks per game, the sixth-best mark in the MAAC. Junior guard Blake Underhill distributes a team-high 2.5 assists per contest, and junior guard Jacqui Thompson hands out 2.4 assists per game. This is the start of a busy stretch where Manhattan plays five games in 10 days to end the regular season. The Jaspers visit Saint Peter's on Saturday afternoon.
THE SAINTS
This is the second of three straight road games for Siena (14-11, 7-9 MAAC), which has dropped two straight overall. The Saints dropped a 57-50 decision at Iona on Sunday, but have notched nine road wins this season. Freshman forward Margot Hetzke and senior guard Tehresa Coles rank fifth and sixth in the MAAC in scoring. Hetzke boasts a team-high 13.7 points per game to go along with 7.2 rebounds per outing, which is fourth-most in the conference. Coles, meanwhile, tallies 13.3 points per contest, and she leads the league with 3.0 steals a night. Sophomore forward Meghan Donohue notches 10.5 points per game, and she also ranks third in the MAAC in field goal percentage (.522). Senior guard/forward Ida Krogh is third in hte MAAC in assists, handing out 4.6 helpers per outing. The Saints, who are battling Niagara and Rider for a MAAC Tournament bye, currently sit tied for sixth in the league. Siena visits Fairfield on Saturday.
MANHATTAN VS. SIENA ALL-TIME
Siena posted a 59-51 victory over the Jaspers in Loudonville on Jan. 24 and has won seven of the last eight meetings between the squads, including two straight. Manhattan's only win during that span was a 62-55 triumph on Jan. 30, 2014. The Jaspers haven't beaten Siena at Draddy Gymnasium since a 56-53 victory on Feb. 2, 2012. Overall, this is the 60th meeting between the schools, with Siena leading the all-time series 39-20.
LAST GAME
On Sunday afternoon, the Jaspers suffered a 65-40 loss to Rider at Alumni Gymnasium. The Broncs scored the first nine points of the game and led 13-2 before Manhattan went on a 7-2 run to pull within five, 14-9. Rider led 19-11 after a Jacqui Thompson layup at the 11:41 mark, and neither team would score for more than seven minutes before the Broncs ended the half on an 8-2 rally to take a 31-13 advantage into the locker room. In the second half, Manhattan scored six of the first eight points, but Rider responded with a 13-2 run to increase its cushion to 25 points at 46-21. The Broncs pushed their advantage to as many as 29 points before Manhattan ended the contest on a 6-2 run to make the final score 65-40. Kayla Grimme led the Jaspers with 10 points and six rebounds, while Taylor Williams sank three treys for nine points.
PLAY 4 KAY
Manhattan and Siena 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 were also the visiting team in Rider's “Play 4 Kay” contest on Sunday. 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.
