Manhattan-Iona Game Notes
GAME #17: Iona Gaels (10-8, 6-1 MAAC) at Manhattan Jaspers (6-10, 3-4 MAAC)
Monday, January 18, 2016-2:00 p.m.
Riverdale, NY-Draddy Gymnasium (2,520)
Video: Jasper Sports Network
Live Audio
Live Stats
JASPERS GAMEDAY
Manhattan (6-10, 3-4 MAAC) continues its season-long four-game homestand with a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day matinee against Iona (10-8, 6-1 MAAC) at Draddy Gymnasium. The Jaspers have dropped their last three contests by a total of nine points. Manhattan is coming off a 59-57 loss to Fairfield on Saturday afternoon. The Gaels, meanwhile, suffered their first MAAC loss of the season, 62-61 at Marist, on Thursday night. That defeat snapped a five-game winning streak for the Gaels. This is the second meeting of the season between the squads. Iona notched a 67-56 victory in New Rochelle on Jan. 2.
MANHATTAN BREAKDOWN
The Jaspers (6-10, 3-4 MAAC) have lost five of their last six contests, including their last three. However, those three losses have been by a combined nine points. On Saturday, Manhattan dropped a 59-57 decision to Fairfield. Sophomore guard Amani Tatum is the Jaspers' top scorer. She tallies 11.3 points per game. Tatum also dishes out a team-leading 3.2 assists per outing and ranks second in the MAAC with 2.8 steals a night. Sophomore guard Nyasha Irizarry tallies 9.3 points per contest and sinks 1.9 treys per outing. Sophomore center Kayla Grimme, meanwhile, notches 7.9 points per game to go along with a squad-best 8.0 rebounds a night. Grimme also averages 2.7 blocks per contest, the second-highest total in the league. Senior guard Blake Underhill hands out 3.0 assists per game. The Jaspers conclude their season-long four-game homestand on Thursday, when they take on Saint Peter's in a matchup that will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
IONA BREAKDOWN
Iona (10-8, 6-1 MAAC) saw its five-game winning streak snapped with a 62-61 loss at Marist on Thursday night. The Gaels are currently in second place in the MAAC, one half-game behind Siena. Senior forward Joy Adams, the two-time reigning MAAC Player of the Week, is one of two players in the league averaging a double-double. She ranks second in the MAAC with 14.6 points per game and paces the conference with 11.5 rebounds per contest. Junior guard Marina Lizarazu tallies 11.7 points per outing to go along with 4.3 assists a night, the second-highest total in the league. Lizarazu also ranks fifth in the MAAC in steals (1.8 spg). Senior guard Aaliyah Robinson pours in 9.3 points per game, and she ranks second in the league with 2.5 three-pointers a night. Senior forward Karynda DuPree, meanwhile, registers 1.8 blocks per contest. On Thursday, Iona takes on Niagara at the Hynes Athletic Center in its only home contest in a six-game span.
ALL-TIME SERIES
The Gaels' 67-56 win in New Rochelle on Jan. 2 was their seventh consecutive victory over the Jaspers. Iona's current seven-game winning streak is its longest ever against Manhattan. The Jaspers haven't beaten Iona since a 59-54 triumph at Draddy Gymnasium on Feb. 15, 2012. This is the 74th all-time meeting between the Jaspers and Gaels, with Manhattan leading the series, which began during the 1979-80 campaign, 44-29.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Casey Smith's layup with 1.2 seconds remaining gave Fairfield a 59-57 victory over the Jaspers at Draddy Gymnasium on Saturday. Manhattan got a shot off at the buzzer, but it didn't fall. It was tied four times over the final four minutes before the Stags scored the game-winner. There were seven ties and seven lead changes in the contest, as neither side led by more than nine points. Fairfield led 16-13 after one and 29-23 at halftime, but the Jaspers outscored the Stags 16-9 in the third quarter to take a 39-38 lead entering the final stanza. After Manhattan built a six-point advantage, 44-38, with 8:07 to go, Fairfield rallied to tie it at 51-51 with 4:06 remaining. Amani Tatum paced the Jaspers with 14 points, while Kayla Grimme finished with 13 points and a game-high eight rebounds. Shayna Ericksen added 11 points off the bench.
