Game Notes
GAME #25: Fairfield Stags (12-11, 9-5 MAAC) at Manhattan Jaspers (7-17, 3-12 MAAC)
Sunday, February 12, 2017 - 3:00 PM
Riverdale, NY - Draddy Gymnasium (2,520)
Video: Jasper Sports Network
Audio
Live Stats
TODAY'S GAME
After playing five out of six on the road, the Jaspers (7-17, 3-12 MAAC) return home to face Fairfield (12-11, 9-5 MAAC) in their annual “Play 4 Kay” game for breast cancer awareness. Manhattan has dropped three straight and is coming off a 67-62 loss at Siena on Friday night. The Stags have won each of their last three contests, including a 50-38 triumph over Saint Peter's last Sunday. The Jaspers are wearing pink shirts and socks at today's game, and will honor breast cancer survivors at halftime. The team is also selling pink t-shirts, with the proceeds going to breast cancer charities.
ABOUT THE JASPERS
Manhattan is looking to snap a three-game losing streak. On Friday night, the Jaspers suffered a 67-62 defeat at Siena. Junior center Kayla Grimme had a double-double against the Saints, her fourth in Manhattan's last six contests. She paces the team in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 12.9 points and 7.8 boards per game. Grimme also leads the MAAC with 2.1 blocks per contest. Junior guard Amani Tatum, meanwhile, registers a conference-high 4.7 assists per outing and 2.8 steals a night, third-most in the league, to go along with 10.6 points per game. Junior center Mikki Guiton contributes 6.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per contest, while senior guard Maeve Parahus and junior guard Nyasha Irizarry both tally 5.6 points per outing. They each drain 1.4 three-pointers a night. The Jaspers visit Monmouth (11-12, 6-8 MAAC) at 5 p.m. on Thursday in a game that will be broadcast nationally on ESPN3.
ABOUT THE STAGS
The Stags (12-11, 9-5 MAAC) have won each of their last three games, including a 50-38 triumph over Saint Peter's last Sunday. Senior forward Kelsey Carey ranks fifth in the MAAC in scoring (15.4 ppg), and she also registers 6.1 rebounds per game. Senior forward Casey Smith is eighth in the league with 13.4 points per contest, and she adds 6.4 boards per outing. Junior forward Samantha Cooper, meanwhile, averages a conference-best 8.4 rebounds a night to go along with 11.9 points per game. Cooper also distributes 2.9 assists per contest, ninth-most in the MAAC, and leads the Stags with 1.8 three-pointers per outing. Sophomore guard Casey Foley is third in the league with 3.3 assists a night, and she leads the MAAC in assist/turnover ratio (2.4) while notching a team-high 1.3 steals per game. Fairfield meets Saint Peter's (3-21, 2-13 MAAC) for the second time in nine days, this time on the road, at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.
SERIES HISTORY
Fairfield has won 10 of the last 11 matchups between the teams, including the last two. On Jan. 8, the Stags beat the Jaspers by a 71-56 count at Alumni Hall. Manhattan's last victory over Fairfield was a 70-55 triumph in Connecticut on Jan. 8, 2016. The Jaspers haven't beaten the Stags at Draddy Gymnasium since a 53-44 win on Feb. 25, 2011. Fairfield is the most common opponent in program history. This is the 84th meeting between the schools, and the Stags lead the series 46-37.
LAST TIME OUT
In a contest that featured eight ties and 16 lead changes, Siena held on for a 67-62 victory over the Jaspers at the Alumni Recreation Center on Friday night. It was 19-18 Siena at the end of the first quarter, and a Kayla Grimme layup just before the halftime buzzer gave the Jaspers a 39-38 edge at the break. Manhattan led 49-47 after three quarters, but the Saints started the final period on a 7-0 run to go up 54-49. Down by three, 65-62, with 22 seconds remaining, the Jaspers had the ball and a chance to tie. However, Siena stole the inbounds pass and drove for a layup to secure the five-point win. Nyasha Irizarry drained five treys for a team-high 15 points, while Grimme had a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards to go along with six blocks. Mikki Guiton also tallied 14 points, while Amani Tatum handed out a career-high 10 assists.
PLAY 4 KAY
The Jaspers are wearing pink t-shirts, socks and shoelaces at today's game to show their support for the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's “Play 4 Kay” initiative for breast cancer awareness. Manhattan is also honoring breast cancer survivors at halftime and selling t-shirts to benefit breast cancer charities. This is the 10th consecutive year in which the Jaspers are holding a “Play 4 Kay” event.
