Lawrenceville, N.J. (January 19, 2007)?Caitlin Flood led all scorers with 19 points and Manhattan registered an assist on 24 of their 26 field goals as the Lady Jaspers defeated Rider 83-75 Friday night. The win improves Manhattan's record to 5-13 overall and 2-5 in the MAAC, while the Broncs fall to 1-17 and 0-7 in the MAAC.
After both teams traded baskets and the lead in the early going, Manhattan seized the lead for good on a Flood basket. The field goal, which gave Manhattan an 11-10 lead, was two of Flood's 14 first half points, and was the beginning of a 12-0 run that gave the Lady Jaspers a 21-10 lead.
While that run provided some breathing room early, Manhattan blew the game open minutes later with an 11-0 spurt that gave the Lady Jaspers a 34-16 lead. Flood knocked down four straight foul shots, and Annie McIntyre connected from three as part of the run. Manhattan increased its lead to as many as 21 points in the opening stanza after Lindsay Brown knocked down a three-pointer with 2:50 remaining.
The visitors from Riverdale led 45-27 at halftime and led by as much as 19 points after the break, but Rider shot a scorching 65 percent in the second half and gradually chipped away at the Lady Jaspers' lead. The home side got to within 10 points on two occasions, and trimmed their deficit to single digits at 78-69 after a Shaunice Parker three-pointer with 2:36 remaining.
A jumper by Rider's Danielle Costantino and a free throw by Jenna Franciosa made the score 79-71, the Broncs got to within six points at 79-73 after two free throws from Maura Gillooly with just over a minute remaining. Manhattan though would not let Rider get any closer, as Gabrielle Cottrell to hit two shots from the line with 56 seconds left that essentially iced the game.
The Lady Jaspers shot over 45 percent for the third time in five games, and had two other players, Aubrie Dellinger and Kelly Regan, score in double figures with 16 points a piece. Flood also pulled down a game high 14 rebounds, matching her career high, giving her a double-double for the fifth time this season.
Manhattan returns to action this Sunday when they travel down to Baltimore to take on Loyola. Tip-off is slated for 2:00 p.m.
