Game Notes
GAME #28: Monmouth Hawks (12-15, 7-11 MAAC) at Manhattan Jaspers (8-19, 4-14 MAAC)
Friday, February 24, 2017 - 7:00 PM
Riverdale, NY - Draddy Gymnasium (2,520)
Video: Jasper Sports Network
Live Stats
TONIGHT'S GAME
Manhattan (8-19, 4-14 MAAC) concludes its home schedule with a matchup against Monmouth (12-15, 7-11 MAAC) at Draddy Gymnasium. This is the second meeting between the teams in eight days, as the Jaspers posted a 75-61 win over the Hawks on Feb. 16. In its last outing, Manhattan dropped a 69-49 decision to Quinnipiac on Sunday. Monmouth has lost three straight, including a 75-63 defeat at Rider on Tuesday. The Jaspers will be either the No. 9 or 10 seed in the MAAC Tournament, while the Hawks will be seeded anywhere between seventh and ninth.
ABOUT THE JASPERS
The Jaspers (8-19, 4-14 MAAC) are coming off a 69-49 loss to Quinnipiac on Sunday afternoon. Junior center Kayla Grimme paces Manhattan in both scoring and rebounding. She averages 13.3 points and 8.0 boards per game. Grimme also leads the MAAC with 2.0 blocks per contest. Junior guard Amani Tatum is the league-leader in assists (4.9 apg), and she ranks second in the MAAC in steals (3.0 spg) while also tallying 10.5 points per outing. Junior center Mikki Guiton's .549 field goal percentage is the second-best in the conference. Junior guard Nyasha Irizarry drains a team-high 1.4 three-pointers a night, and senior guard Maeve Parahus sinks 1.3 treys per game. Senior guard Nicole Anderson, meanwhile, will be playing in her 100th career contest tonight. Manhattan, which will be seeded either ninth or 10th in the MAAC Tournament, will conclude the regular season at Marist (13-15, 10-8 MAAC) on Sunday.
ABOUT THE HAWKS
Monmouth (12-15, 7-11 MAAC) has dropped each of its last three games, including a 75-63 defeat at Rider on Tuesday. Freshman guard Kayla Shaw paces the Hawks in scoring with an average of 11.3 points per game. She also leads the MAAC in three-pointers per contest (2.9) and three-point percentage (.405). Senior guard Tyese Purvis tallies 10.5 points per outing and ranks fourth in the league with 2.3 treys a night. As a team, Monmouth drains a MAAC-best 8.9 three-pointers per game. Freshman guard Alaina Jarnot, meanwhile, distributes 3.3 assists per contest, the fourth-most in the conference. Freshman forward Taylor Nason leads the team with 6.7 rebounds per outing, and senior forward Christina Mitchell pulls down 6.6 boards a night to go along with 1.2 blocks per game. Freshman forward Alexa Middleton adds 6.3 rebounds per contest. The Hawks conclude the regular season by hosting Niagara (8-19, 5-13 MAAC) on Sunday.
SERIES HISTORY
The Jaspers snapped a five-game losing streak against Monmouth with a 75-61 victory at the OceanFirst Bank Center on Feb. 16. It was Manhattan's first win over the Hawks since a 65-59 triumph at Draddy Gymnasium on Dec. 31, 2013. Last season in Riverdale, Monmouth registered a 57-56 victory on Feb. 11, 2016. This is the 22nd all-time meeting between the programs, with Monmouth leading the series 11-10, including a 5-2 edge since joining the MAAC in 2013-14.
LAST TIME OUT
On Sunday afternoon, the Jaspers dropped a 69-49 decision to first-place Quinnipiac at Draddy Gymnasium. The Bobcats scored the first six points of the game, but Manhattan responded with a 9-2 run to take the lead, 9-8. However, Quinnipiac scored the final six points of the first quarter to go up 14-9, and the Bobcats increased their advantage to 31-16 at halftime. Manhattan then outscored Quinnipiac 19-17 in the third quarter to pull within 48-35. The Bobcats started the fourth quarter on a 9-3 run, though, and pulled away for a 69-49 victory. Mikki Guiton led the Jaspers with 10 points, while Kayla Grimme just missed a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds. Nyasha Irizarry added nine points and seven boards, and Amani Tatum finished with eight points, seven assists and six steals.
MAAC TOURNAMENT SCENARIOS
Manhattan will be seeded either ninth or 10th in the MAAC Tournament next week. The only way the Jaspers can earn the No. 9 seed is to win their final two games and have Niagara lose to both Rider and Monmouth. Otherwise, Manhattan will be the No. 10 seed and open the tournament at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday. The Jaspers' first-round opponent will be either Canisius or Monmouth.
