Riverdale, NY - Manhattan women's basketball will open the 2018-19 season against LIU Brooklyn on Tuesday, November 6 in Draddy Gymnasium. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m.
The first 250 students admitted to the game will receive a complimentary Lady Liberty foam crown, while women's basketball posters will be available for fans. The Jasper Club will also be open for all members. Fans are encouraged to park in the Manhattan College parking garage, located on Manhattan College Parkway. Free shuttle service to Draddy Gymnasium will be available for both games.
Game Notes:
Follow Live!
Tuesday's match-up
can be viewed on ESPN3, and live stats can be followed on
gojaspers.com. In-game updates can be followed on Twitter at
@manhattan_wbb.
Last Meeting
The Jaspers handed the Blackbirds a one-sided 72-38 defeat when the teams met on December 16, 2017. It was a game of firsts for then-freshman
Courtney Warley (West Chester, PA / Bishop Shanahan), who made her first collegiate start and recorded her first career double-double. She posted 14 points and 12 rebounds for Manhattan, going 4-5 from the floor and 6-7 from the free throw line. The Jaspers took advantage of a poor shooting day for LIU Brooklyn, as the Blackbirds were only able to shoot 17.9 percent from the floor. Manhattan out-rebounded their opponent 46-30, as well, including 34-14 on the defensive end.
Series History
Manhattan is 2-4 all time against LIU Brooklyn. Before meeting in 2017, the Jaspers had last faced LIU Brooklyn on December 15, 1996. The Blackbirds defeated the Jaspers 76-63 in that contest.
Aye, Captains!
During the summer, Manhattan announced the selection of three team captains: junior
Gabby Cajou (Stony Point, NY / North Rockland) and sophomores Warley and
Nyala Pendergrass (Jackson, NJ / St. Rose). Manhattan graduated four seniors in 2018, including three-year captain and point guard
Amani Tatum, and this year's three captains will be looked upon to provide strong leadership to a young team. "Last year we all looked upon Amani, and then, as the summer sessions went on, we came together as a group," said Cajou earlier this year. "We figure things out together as a family. We all chip in ideas, and we all give each other opinions on how we can do better."
From Sixth Man to Primary Point
Cajou is the reigning MAAC Sixth Player of the Year, the first player in program history to win the award. She finished the 2017-18 season ranked second in the league in field goal percentage (.476), and fourth in both assists per game (3.5) and steals per game (2.1). Cajou posted the fourth-best assist/turnover ratio in the conference (1.5) and ranked in the league's top 25 for minutes played per game (29.5). Instead of a spark off the bench, this year she will be floor leader at point, using her role as team captain to also enhance her leadership on the court.
All-Rookie Honors
In her freshman campaign last year, Warley was named to the MAAC's All-Rookie Team. She made 19 starts for the Jaspers in her first season and averaged 3.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks over 21 minutes a game.
Home Grown
Manhattan welcomes four freshmen to Riverdale this season, all from the Metropolitan Area.
D'yona Davis (Bronx, NY / Truman),
Kania Pollock (Queens, NY / The Mary Louis Academy), and
Diamond Shavis (Bronx, NY / South Shore) all hail from New York City, while
Sydney Watkins (Wanaque, NJ / Saddle River Day) will join the Jaspers from northern New Jersey.
By Way of the Sunshine State
Graduate transfer Candela Abejon (Gijon, Spain / USC) joins Manhattan from the University of Southern California, where she played three years for the Trojans, graduating early with a degree in electrical engineering. This past season, Abejón appeared in 24 games at USC, averaging nearly six minutes per contest and earning one start. USC went 20-11 on the season and 9-9 in conference, finishing seventh in the Pac-12. The Trojans advanced to the second round of the league tournament, defeating Washington State 47-43. The team later fell to #16 Stanford, who went on to the Pac-12 finals and the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
