Tatum Steals the Show In Wire-to-Wire Victory

RIVERDALE, NY – Amani Tatum (Cambria Heights, NY) had 11 steals, one shy of the program and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) record, in the Manhattan College women's basketball team's (8-10, 5-4 MAAC) wire-to-wire 64-47 victory over Saint Peter's (4-14, 2-7 MAAC) at Draddy Gymnasium on Thursday.  The contest was broadcast live nationwide on ESPN3.

“She's been everything for us,” Head Coach John Olenowski said about his point guard during a postgame interview on ESPN3.  “She's changed the culture of the team.  She's a great leader who plays both ends.”

“It starts with defense,” Tatum said.  “Getting in lanes and getting ball pressure---that's how we get our points.  Our coaches said that if we pressured the ball, big things would come for us, so I think that was big.”

Manhattan held Saint Peter's scoreless for nearly seven minutes to start the game, opening up a 12-0 lead.  The Peacocks got a buzzer-beating jumper from Marcia Senatus that made it 12-4 at the end of the first quarter, then Saint Peter's scored the first two baskets of the second period to pull within 12-8.

However, Blake Underhill (Edgewater, NJ) drove for a layup on the other end to spark a 13-2 run that gave the Jaspers a 25-10 advantage with 4:10 remaining in the first half.  After a three-point play by Underhill at the 1:05 mark put Manhattan up 29-15, the Peacocks scored the final four points of the half to cut their deficit to 10, 29-19, at the break.

A Rebecca Sparks trey brought Saint Peter's within eight, 32-24, early in the third quarter before a 12-5 Manhattan run pushed the Jaspers' cushion back to 15 points, 44-27.  Underhill got a steal and layup to give Manhattan a 50-33 edge after three, and the Jaspers gradually extended the margin throughout the final quarter.  The lead reached a game-high 19 points at 62-43 on a Maeve Parahus (Congers, NY) jumper with 3:19 remaining.  Nicole Anderson (Hamden, CT) drained a pair of late foul shots to account for the final points in the Jaspers' 64-47 victory.

“The game plan was to put some pressure on their guards and see if we could get some steals, then turn it into offense,” Olenowski said.  “And we did that.  Not just getting the steals, but getting some baskets, too.”

Tatum also tallied 16 points to complete her first career double-double.  Taylor Williams (Windsor, CT) finished with 11 points and four assists, while Underhill contributed nine points, five rebounds and three assists.  Crystal Ross (Philadelphia, PA) pulled down a team-high seven boards to go along with six points and four blocks, and Kayla Grimme (Altoona, PA) added three blocks. 

As a team, Manhattan registered 21 steals and scored 36 points off 28 Saint Peter's turnovers.  The Jaspers shot 33.3 percent (22-of-66) from the field, 38.5 percent (5-of-13) from long range, and 68.2 percent (15-of-22) at the free throw line.  Manhattan also recorded eight blocks.

Hala Mostafa led the Peacocks with 11 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks.  Talah Hughes and Janelle Mullen added seven points apiece for Saint Peter's, which outrebounded Manhattan 45-40.  As a team, the Peacocks shot 31.4 percent (16-of-51) from the floor, 30 percent (3-of-10) from downtown, and 60 percent (12-of-20) at the charity stripe.

After playing four straight at home, the Jaspers play three of their next five on the road, starting with a matchup at Rider (4-14, 1-8 MAAC).  The game is set for Saturday at 2 p.m., but may be rescheduled due to the winter storm expected to hit the tristate area over the weekend.