Game Notes
GAME #2: Yale Bulldogs (1-0) at Manhattan Jaspers (1-0)
Tuesday, November 15, 2016 - 7:00 PM
Riverdale, NY - Draddy Gymnasium
Video: Jasper Sports Network
Live Stats
TONIGHT'S GAME
After opening the Heather Vulin Era with a win, the Jaspers (1-0) conclude their season-opening two-game homestand by welcoming Yale (1-0) to Draddy Gymnasium on Tuesday. Manhattan, which defeated Holy Cross 60-56 on Friday night, is looking to start the season 2-0 for the first time since 2003-04. The Bulldogs also won their season opener, 57-48 over Binghamton on Sunday. This is Yale's first trip to Riverdale since the 1984-85 season. Manhattan will play six of its next eight contests on the road, starting with a matchup at Buffalo on Saturday.
ABOUT THE JASPERS
Manhattan (1-0) opened the 2016-17 season with a 60-56 victory over Holy Cross on Friday night. The win was Heather Vulin's first as a collegiate head coach. Senior guard Maeve Parahus registered a career-high 19 points after draining five three-pointers, including the game-winner, against the Crusaders. Junior center Mikki Guiton contributed 12 points, while junior guard Amani Tatum, a Preseason First Team All-MAAC choice, pulled down a career-best nine rebounds while also tallying seven points, four assists and two steals. Junior center Kayla Grimme, meanwhile, contributed seven points and seven boards to go along with three blocks. After starting the season with two straight home games, the Jaspers begin a two-game road trip on Saturday, when they visit Buffalo (1-0) for a contest that can be seen live on ESPN3 at 2 p.m. Manhattan will play six of its next eight on the road.
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
The Bulldogs (1-0), who were picked sixth in the Ivy League Preseason Poll, began the 2016-17 season with a 57-48 home win over Binghamton on Sunday afternoon. Senior guard Lena Munzer and junior guard Tamara Simpson talleid 12 points apiece in Yale's season-opening victory. Munzer also had seven rebounds and five assists against Binghamton. Simpson is the Bulldogs' top returning scorer. She averaged 11.4 points per game last season. Junuor forward Jen Berkowitz, junior guard Mary Ann Santucci and senior guard Meghan McIntyre contributed nine points apiece against Binghamton, while freshman guard Megan Gorman pulled down seven rebounds in the season-opening win. Junior forward Katie Werner, who grabbed 4.5 boards per outing in 2015-16, is Yale's top returning rebounder. This is the beginning of a span where Yale plays six out of seven on the road. The Bulldogs visit Army West Point (1-0) on Friday night.
SERIES HISTORY
Yale posted a 62-36 victory over Manhattan last season in New Haven. It was the ninth all-time meeting between the teams, but the first since Dec. 5, 1987, when the Jaspers posted a 71-68 double-overtime triumph at the Loyola Tournament. The squads also met in seven consecutive seasons from 1979-80 to 1984-85, with that 1984-85 meeting representing the last time the Bulldogs visited Draddy Gymnasium. Yale won that matchup, 65-64, and leads the overall series 5-4.
LAST TIME OUT
Manhattan began the season with a thrilling 60-56 win over Holy Cross at Draddy Gymnasium on Friday night. It was tied at 56-56 when Maeve Parahus drained a trey with 45 seconds left to put the Jaspers in front. After two Holy Cross misses on the other end, Kayla Grimme drained a free throw to ice the victory. Manhattan trailed by as many as 10 points in the first quarter, but used a 14-0 second-quarter run to take a 36-30 lead into the locker room. The Crusaders scored the first seven points of the second half to go back in front, but the Jaspers rallied and held a 52-46 cushion entering the final period. Parahus had a career-high 19 points, including five treys, while Mikki Guiton also notched a career-high with 12 points and Amani Tatum pulled down a career-best nine rebounds.
HEAD COACH HEATHER VULIN
Heather Vulin was named the eighth head coach in program history on April 25, 2016. A 1999 graduate of Minnesota-Morris, she brings more than 16 years of collegiate coaching experience to Riverdale. After beginning her career as a graduate assistant at North Dakota State from 2000-02, Vulin spent six seasons as an assistant coach at Sacred Heart from 2002-08. She was on the staff at Villanova for seven seasons (2008-15) before spending the 2015-16 campaign as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Virgina Tech.
FIRST ONE OUT OF THE WAY
It didn't take long for Heather Vulin to pick up her first win as Manhattan's head coach, as the Jaspers posted a 60-56 victory over Holy Cross in the season opener on Nov. 11. It marked the fourth consecutive time that the Jaspers earned a victory in a new head coach's first game with the program.