Riverdale, N.Y.?(January 25, 2007)?Amanda LoCascio converted a traditional three-point play with 4.3 seconds remaining to propel the Lady Jaspers over the Golden Griffins Thursday night at Draddy Gymnasium. Kelly Regan scored a career high 22 points on 10-15 shooting as the Lady Jaspers improve to 6-14 overall and 3-6 in the MAAC. Canisius falls to 11-9 and 3-6 in MAAC play.
A three-pointer by Canisius' Jessie Lamparksi with 37 seconds remaining gave the Golden Griffs a 55-53 lead, setting the stage for LoCascio. After a thirty second timeout to set up the final play, LoCascio drove to the hoop with time dwindling down but missed a pull up jumper. LoCascio though was able to grab the loose ball in the key and put up a shot in traffic that went down, drawing a foul in the process.
The junior from Maspeth, N.Y. then stepped to the free throw line and calmly sunk the go-ahead foul shot, giving Manhattan a 56-55 lead. After a timeout, Canisius still had an opportunity go to back in front, but Jenna Franciosa blocked Megan Lyte's shot just before time expired, giving Manhattan the win.
The lead changed hands five times in the final 5:37, with Canisius owning the biggest lead at 52-49 with 3:23 left, during that time span. A jump shot by Gabrielle Cottrell, then another jumper by Vanessa Davison with 1:10 remaining put Manhattan up 53-52, leading up to Lamparksi's triple.
Regan's career night continues a trend from last season where the sophomore plays especially well against teams from her native Western New York. Last year, Regan's two games at Canisius and Niagara garnered her MAAC Rookie of the Week honors.
The win ends Manhattan's seven game losing streak to Canisius and marks yet another close game played between the two programs, the last three meetings between the two teams have been decided by an average of two points. On this night, the largest lead was four points in the opening minutes.
Manhattan will return to action next Monday when they travel across the George Washington Bridge to battle Saint Peter's in Jersey City, N.J. The game can be seen on MAAC-TV and tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.
