Manhattan-Monmouth Game Notes
GAME #20: Manhattan Jaspers (9-10, 6-4 MAAC) at Monmouth Hawks (6-14, 4-7 MAAC)
Tuesday, February 2, 2016-11:00 a.m.
West Long Branch, NJ-Multipurpose Activity Center (4,100)
Audio: Monmouth Digital Network
Live Stats
JASPERS GAMEDAY
The Jaspers (9-10, 6-4 MAAC) look to extend their winning streak to four straight, as they visit Monmouth (6-14, 4-7 MAAC) for their first contest in eight days. Manhattan had its scheduled matchup with Quinnipiac on Sunday postponed until Feb. 23 due to a mechanical issue at Draddy Gymnasium. In their last outing, the Jaspers posted a 74-70 victory at Rider on Jan. 25. Manhattan, which is on its first three-game winning streak since Jan. 29-Feb. 4, 2012, hasn't won four consecutive games reeling off six in a row from Dec. 17, 2011-Jan. 4, 2012. Monmouth has dropped three straight and five out of six. The Hawks are coming off a 68-60 loss to Fairfield on Saturday.
MANHATTAN BREAKDOWN
Manhattan (9-10, 6-4 MAAC) has won three straight, its longest winning streak since the 2011-12 season. In their last outing, the Jaspers registered a 74-70 victory at Rider on Jan. 25. Sophomore guard Nyasha Irizarry drained five three-pointers against the Broncs and is averaging a team-best 11.4 points per game in conference play. Overall, Irizarry is second on the squad with 9.8 points per contest, and her 2.1 three-pointers per outing are sixth-most in the MAAC. Sophomore guard Amani Tatum leads the Jaspers with 11.8 points a night, and she's the league leader in steals (3.2 spg). Sophomore center Kayla Grimme notches 7.7 points and a team-best 7.9 rebounds per game to go along with 2.8 blocks per contest, which ranks second in the league. Senior guard Blake Underhill distributes 3.3 assists a night to pace the Jaspers. Manhattan, which is playing for just the second time in 12 days, returns to Draddy Gymnasium on Friday night for its first matchup of the season with Canisius.
MONMOUTH BREAKDOWN
Monmouth (6-14, 4-7 MAAC) is looking to snap a three-game losing streak. The Hawks are coming off a 68-60 loss to Fairfield on Saturday afternoon. Monmouth averages 65.0 points per game as a team, but also allows 70.1 points per contest. Senior guard/forward Sarah Olson leads Monmouth with 11.3 points per outing, and her 2.6 three-pointers a night are second-most in the MAAC. Junior guard Tyese Purvis drains 2.4 treys per game and is fifth in the league in three-point percentage (.375). Overall, Purvis notches 9.6 points per contest. Senior guard Jamiyah Bethune tallies 10.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists a night, while junior forward Christina Mitchell ranks third in the MAAC in both rebounding (9.7 rpg) and blocks (2.0 bpg). Freshman guard McKinzee Barker, meanwhile, distributes 3.7 assists per game and is second in the league in assist/turnover ratio (2.0). Up next for the Hawks is a matchup at Iona on Friday morning.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Manhattan and Monmouth are meeting for the 19th time, and the all-time series is even at 9-9. The Hawks have won each of the last three matchups, however, including both contests last season. Monmouth posted a 73-69 victory in Riverdale on Jan. 16, 2015, then took the rematch, 84-67, at the Multipurpose Activity Center on Feb. 26, 2015. Manhattan's last win over the Hawks was a 65-59 triumph at Draddy Gymnasium on Dec. 31, 2013.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Manhattan earned its third straight win on Jan. 25, posting a wire-to-wire 74-70 triumph at Rider. The Jaspers jumped out to an 18-6 lead on four Nyasha Irizarry three-pointers and led 22-13 after one quarter. Manhattan held a 39-33 edge at halftime, then started the third quarter on a 9-0 run to extend the margin to a game-high 15 points, 48-33. It was 58-45 after three, and the Jaspers never let the Broncs pull closer than four points during the final period. Irizarry led four Jaspers in double-figures with 20 points, her second 20-point game of the season. Amani Tatum tallied 14 points, while Shayna Ericksen and Blake Underhill added 10 points apiece. Underhill also distributed seven assists. Kylla Champagne pulled down a game-high eight rebounds, and Kayla Grimme collected six boards to go along with three blocks.