Buffalo, N.Y. (February 3, 2006)--Manhattan Women's Basketball climbed back from a 13-point second-half deficit to take a 47-46 lead on sophomore forward
Caitlin Flood's three-point play with 3:42 remaining, but Canisius senior guard Becky Zak managed to spoil Manhattan's party. With the game knotted at 50, Zak nailed a runner from the right side of the lane with 4.5 seconds left on the clock to sink the Lady Jaspers. The loss drops Manhattan to 7-13 overall and 4-7 in the MAAC, while the defending MAAC Champion Golden Griffins improve to 11-9 overall and 8-3 in conference games.
After Flood's three-point play from the left block, which was set up by senior
Jennifer LePinnet's pass, Zak and Manhattan freshman
Kelly Regan exchanged free throws, making the score 48-47 in favor of the Lady Jaspers with just under two and a half minutes remaining. Golden Griffin senior guard Cheri Wittlieb, however, banked in a jumper from the right side with the clock reading 2:05 to put the Griffs back in front, 49-48. Canisius' Megan Lyte added a free throw with 48 seconds left to extend the Canisius advantage to two.
On Manhattan's ensuing possession, sophomore guard
Gabrielle Cottrell's three-pointer from the beyond the right arc was halfway down before rimming out, but sophomore guard
Joann Nwafili grabbed an offensive board and drew a foul. Nwafili sunk the two free throws to pull the Lady J's even at 50 with 33 ticks remaining, setting the stage for Zak's heroics.
Canisius held it largest lead of the game at 41-28 when Katie Thorner knocked down a jumper on a fast break at the 12:18 mark of the second half. The Lady Jaspers slowly chipped away at the lead, as they outscored the Griffs 19-6 over the next eight and a half minutes.
Both teams got off to a sluggish start in the early going. Manhattan's first basket did not come until more than five minutes into the first half, as Regan gave her large contingent of fans something to cheer about. The freshman center and Western New York native scored 11 points and grabbed four rebounds in her first collegiate game in the Greater Buffalo Area.
Manhattan continues its Buffalo swing as the Lady J's close out the season series against Niagara on Sunday at 2:00 p.m.
