Manhattan-Rider Game Notes
GAME #29: Rider Broncs (7-21, 4-15 MAAC) at Manhattan Jaspers (14-14, 11-8 MAAC)
Sunday, February 28, 2016-2:00 p.m.
Riverdale, NY-Draddy Gymnasium (2,520)
Video: Jasper Sports Network
Audio
Live Stats
JASPERS GAMEDAY
Manhattan (14-14, 11-8 MAAC) concludes the regular season by hosting Rider (7-21, 4-15 MAAC) on “Senior Day” at Draddy Gymnasium. Prior to the game, the Jaspers will honor their six graduating seniors. Manhattan, which will secure the No. 4 seed in the MAAC Tournament with a victory, clinched its first winning record in conference play since the 2011-12 campaign with a 60-43 triumph at Saint Peter's on Friday night. The Broncs, who have dropped two straight, are coming off a 76-61 loss at Monmouth on Thursday night. Rider will be seeded either ninth or 10th in the MAAC Tournament.
MANHATTAN BREAKDOWN
The Jaspers (14-14, 11-8 MAAC), who are already assured to finish with a winning record in conference play for the first time since 2011-12, look to get back above .500 overall for the first time since the season opener. Manhattan earned its 11th MAAC win of the season with a 60-43 triumph at Saint Peter's on Friday night. Sophomore guard Amani Tatum averages a team-leading 11.9 points per game to go along with 3.2 assists and a MAAC-best 3.3 steals per contest. Sophomore center Kayla Grimme ranks second in the league in blocks (2.3 bpg) and fifth in rebounding (7.8 rpg). She also notches 7.6 points per outing. Senior guard Blake Underhill, meanwhile, tallies 1.9 steals a night, the fourth-most in the conference, and is seventh in the MAAC with 3.5 assists per game. Manhattan, which will honor its six graduating seniors prior to the contest, clinches the No. 4 seed and a first-round bye in the MAAC Tournament with a victory.
RIDER BREAKDOWN
The Broncs (7-21, 4-15 MAAC) have dropped each of their last two games, including a 76-61 loss at Monmouth on Thursday night. Junior guard Robin Perkins leads Rider and ranks fourth in the MAAC in scoring with an average of 14.8 points per game. She also paces the Broncs with 1.7 steals per contest and drains a team-high 1.4 three-pointers per outing. Junior center Julia Duggan tallies 8.3 points a night to go along with a squad-best 7.1 rebounds per game, the eighth-highest mark in the league. Sophomore guard Kamila Hoskova notches 8.1 points and 1.5 steals per contest, while sophomore forward C'quoya Haughton secures 6.8 boards per outing. Senior guard Manon Pellet hands out 2.6 assists a night, and junior guard Taylor Wentzel distributes 2.3 assists per game. Rider will be either the No. 9 or 10 seed in the MAAC Tournament and play against Canisius, Monmouth or Siena in the first round on Thursday.
ALL-TIME SERIES
The Jaspers posted a 74-70 victory over the Broncs when the teams met in Lawrenceville on Jan. 25 and are looking to sweep the season series for the first time since 2011-12. In last season's matchup at Draddy Gymnasium, Manhattan earned a 55-52 triumph on Jan. 4, 2015 to snap Rider's two-game winning streak in Riverdale. Overall, this is the 42nd all-time meeting between Manhattan and Rider, with the Jaspers leading the series 29-12.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
On Friday night, Manhattan concluded its road schedule with a 60-43 victory over Saint Peter's at the Yanitelli Center. The Jaspers led virtually wire-to-wire. With the score tied at 4-4 early in the first quarter, Manhattan went on a 9-0 run to go up 13-4, and the Jaspers led 17-8 after one period. After the Jaspers built a 16-point lead, Saint Peter's ended the first half on a 6-0 spurt to pull within 30-20. The Peacocks then got within seven at 35-28 midway through the third quarter before another nine-point Manhattan rally made it 44-28. The margin reached as many as 22 points during the fourth quarter, as the Jaspers locked up their first winning MAAC record since 2011-12 with a 60-43 victory. Amani Tatum paced the Jaspers with 15 points, while Crystal Ross tallied 10 points and Kayla Grimme pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.
TOURNAMENT MATH
The Jaspers clinch the No. 4 seed in the MAAC Tournament with a victory. Manhattan can also secure a first-round bye as the No. 5 seed if Monmouth loses to Saint Peter's. However, if the Jaspers lose and Monmouth wins, Manhattan will fall to the No. 6 seed and have to play a first-round game against Saint Peter's at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday. Should the Jaspers earn a first-round bye, they will face Fairfield in the quarterfinals at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
LEADERSHIP CLASS
Manhattan's five seniors--Kylla Champagne, Shayna Ericksen, Crystal Ross, Jacqui Thompson and Blake Underhill--have been dubbed the “leadership class” by Head Coach John Olenowski. The quintet represents the largest senior class Olenowski has had in his time at Manhattan and brought a combined 400 games of collegiate experience into the 2015-16 season.