Manhattan-Fairfield Game Notes
GAME #29: FAIRFIELD STAGS (13-15, 12-7 MAAC) AT MANHATTAN JASPERS (3-25, 2-17 MAAC)
Saturday, February 28, 2015-2 p.m.
Riverdale, N.Y.-Draddy Gymnasium (2,520)
Video: JasperVision
Audio: www.gojaspers.com, www.fairfieldstags.com
GAME INFORMATION
Manhattan (3-25, 2-17 MAAC) wraps up the 2014-15 regular season by welcoming Fairfield (13-15, 12-7 MAAC) to Draddy Gymnasium on “Senior Day.” Seniors Alexis Crist and Ashley Stec will be honored prior to their final game in Riverdale. The Jaspers, who will be the No. 11 seed in next weekend's MAAC Tournament, has dropped two straight, including an 84-67 loss at Monmouth on Thursday. Fairfield, meanwhile, clinched the No. 3 seed in the MAAC Tournament with a 74-62 victory at Iona on Thursday.
THE JASPERS
The Jaspers (3-25, 2-17 MAAC) enter the regular season finale looking to snap a two-game losing streak. Manhattan is coming off an 84-67 loss at Monmouth on Thursday. Junior forward Shayna Ericksen paces the squad in both scoring and rebounding. She averages 9.9 points and 6.2 boards per contest. Freshman guard Nyasha Irizarry, meanwhile, registers 7.5 points per game and leads the Jaspers with 1.6 three-pointers a night. Freshman guard Taylor Williams and freshman center Kayla Grimme each tally 7.3 points per outing, while Grimme, who had a career-high 19 points against Monmouth on Thursday, also records 6.2 rebounds and a team-high 1.3 blocks per contest. Junior guard Blake Underhill has distributed 29 assists in her last three games. For the season, she hands out 3.3 helpers per outing. Manhattan will be seeded 11th in the MAAC Tournament and faces the No. 6 seed at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Thursday in the first round.
THE STAGS
Fairfield (13-15, 12-7 MAAC) snapped a two-game losing streak with a 74-62 victory at Iona on Thursday night. With that victory, the Stags clinched the No. 3 seed in the MAAC Tournament. Sophomore forward Casey Smith leads the Stags with 12.1 points per game and ranks second on the squad with 4.6 rebounds per outing. Junior guard Kristin Schatzlein registers 11.7 points per contest, and she sinks a team-best 2.1 three-pointers a night to go along with 2.8 assists and a team-high 1.3 steals per outing. Freshman forward Samantha Cooper and sophomore forward Kelsey Carey tally 7.3 points per game apiece, while Cooper also paces the squad with 6.8 rebounds per contest. Senior guard Felicia DaCruz, meanwhile, dishes out 3.6 assists per outing. Fairfield's first MAAC Tournament contest will be a quarterfinal matchup against the winner of Manhattan's first-round game at 9:30 p.m. on Friday night.
MANHATTAN VS. FAIRFIELD ALL-TIME
Manhattan has faced Fairfield more than any other opponent in program history. This is the 80th all-time meeting in a series that dates back to the 1978-79 season. The Stags lead the series 43-36 and has won seven straight against the Jaspers, including a 43-26 triumph at Alumni Hall on Feb. 11. Last season at Draddy Gymnasium, Fairfield came away with a 58-49 victory on Jan. 9, 2014. Manhattan's last win over Fairfield was a 53-44 decision in Riverdale on Feb. 25, 2011.
LAST GAME
Playing in its final road game of the season, Manhattan suffered an 84-67 loss to Monmouth at the Multipurpose Activity Center on Thursday. Monmouth scored the first six points of the game and held a 22-13 lead before Manhattan went on a 5-0 run to pull within four, 22-18. However, the Hawks countered with a 6-0 spurt to bring the lead back to 10 points, and Monmouth held a 42-34 advantage at halftime. After the Jaspers pulled within three early in the second half, a 12-3 Monmouth spurt gave the Hawks a 56-46 advantage. The margin reached as many as 19 points before a Blake Underhill layup capped the scoring in Monmouth's 84-67 victory. Kayla Grimme had a career-high 19 points to go along with seven rebounds. Nyasha Irizarry finished with 14 points, while Ashley Stec added 10 points.
POSTSEASON POSSIBILITIES
Manhattan will be the No. 11 seed in next week's MAAC Tournament and play in the first round at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday. The Jaspers' opponent will be the No. 6 seed, which will be either Siena, Niagara on Rider. The winner of Manhattan's first-round game will face third-seeded Fairfield in the quarterfinals on Friday night at 9:30 p.m.
