Game Notes
GAME #7: Manhattan Jaspers (3-3, 0-1 MAAC) at Iona Gaels (3-3, 0-0 MAAC)
Friday, December 2, 2016 - 7:00 PM
New Rochelle, NY - Hynes Athletic Center (2,611)
Video: ESPN3
Live Stats
TONIGHT'S GAME
Manhattan (3-3, 0-1 MAAC) begins a four-game road trip with a visit to defending Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) champion Iona (3-3, 0-0 MAAC) on ESPN3. The Jaspers, who have dropped two straight and three of their last four, suffered a 62-47 loss to Marist on Tuesday night. The Gaels, meanwhile, snapped a three-game skid with a 59-57 victory at VCU on Wednesday afternoon. After tonight's contest, the Jaspers resume their non-conference schedule at St. Francis Brooklyn on Wednesday night. Manhattan doesn't play another MAAC game until Dec. 30.
ABOUT THE JASPERS
The Jaspers (3-3, 0-1 MAAC) are looking to snap a two-game losing streak. Manhattan is coming off a 62-47 loss to Marist in its MAAC opener on Tuesday night. Senior guard Maeve Parahus, who drained a career-high six three-pointers against the Red Foxes, paces the Jaspers with 10.0 points per game. She's shooting .469 from three-point range and sinks 2.5 treys per contest. Senior center Kayla Grimme notches 9.2 points per outing to go along with 7.7 rebounds a night, third-most in the MAAC, and a conference-leading 3.5 blocks per game. Junior guard Amani Tatum, meanwhile, leads the MAAC with 5.0 assists per contest, and she ranks third in the league with 2.7 steals per outing. She also contributes 8.0 points and 5.2 boards a night, while junior center Mikki Guiton notches 7.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. This is the start of a four-game road trip for the Jaspers, who visit St. Francis Brooklyn (1-5) at 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
ABOUT THE GAELS
After starting the season with back-to-back wins, the defending MAAC champion Gaels (3-3, 0-0 MAAC) lost three straight before posting a 59-57 win at VCU on Wednesday. Sophomore guard Alexis Lewis leads the MAAC in rebounding (8.5 rpg) and ranks second in the league in scoring (19.2 ppg). Senior guard Marina Lizarazu, the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, registers 15.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game to go along with 4.0 assists per outing, second-most in the conference. Lizarazu is the MAAC leader in minutes played, averaging more than 38 per contest. Senior forward Karynda DuPree, meanwhile, tallies 8.8 points and 7.5 boards a night. In addition, she's second in the MAAC with 2.2 blocks per game. Freshman guard/forward Tori Lesko contributes 7.0 points per outing and is shooting .615 from the field this season. Iona returns to action on Sunday afternoon, when they visit Saint Peter's (0-5, 0-0 MAAC).
SERIES HISTORY
Manhattan and Iona are meeting for the 75th time. The Jaspers lead the all-time series, which began during the 1979-80 season, 45-29. Last season, Iona posted a 67-56 victory in New Rochelle on Jan. 2, while the Jaspers took the rematch, 63-56, at Draddy Gymnasium on Jan. 18. That triumph snapped the Gaels' seven-game winning streak over Manhattan. The Jaspers' last win at the Hynes Athletic Center was a 57-51 victory on Feb. 27, 2011.
LAST TIME OUT
In its first MAAC game of the season, Manhattan suffered a 62-47 loss to Marist at Draddy Gymnasium on Tuesday night. The Jaspers scored the first five points of the game, but Marist countered with an 8-2 run and held a 17-15 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Red Foxes extended their advantage to 12 points, 36-24, at halftime and led 54-37 after three quarters. After Marist increased its cushion to a game-high 19 points at 56-37 early in the fourth, the Jaspers rattled off five straight points to make it 56-42. That's as close as Manhattan would get, though, as Marist took it by a 62-47 count. Maeve Parahus finished with 18 points on a career-high six treys. Kayla Grimme added nine points and seven rebounds, while Taylor Williams tallied six points and Amani Tatum distributed five assists.
