Riverdale, N.Y. ? The Lady Jaspers lost on a three pointer that beat the clock to give Seton Hall University the win, 61-60. Senior Caitlin Flood led all players with 17 points in the game and also grabbing four rebounds. Sophomore Michelle Pacheco dropped 12 points and played solid defense with three steals in the game.
Down 55-43 with 6:23 left in the game, the Lady J's put together an 11-1 run over the next five minutes to cut their deficit down to two. Pacheco scored six points during their run, to help Manhattan climb back into the game. Down by two, Seton Hall hit two free throws due to the double bonus on a foul by Aubrie Dellinger. With the deficit at four, senior guard Gabrielle Cottrell hit a clutch jump shot with 55 seconds left, to keep the game within reach for Manhattan.
With the score reading 58-56 in favor of the Pirates, Manhattan had possession of the ball with only 21 seconds remaining. Caitlin Flood came down and nailed a three from the top of the key that put the Lady Jaspers up by one point with only 10 seconds left on the clock. Flood grabbed a huge defensive rebound on the ensuing play and was fouled quickly, which put her on the line with four ticks remaining. Flood drained the first but was unsuccessful in her second attempt. Seton Hall grabbed possession of the ball with only a few seconds to get a shot off. Seton Hall's Shantel Brown came down and tossed up a last second shot that found the bottom of the net, and stunned the Lady Jaspers.
Manhattan stayed in the game due to its stellar defense as they caused 26 turnovers by Seton Hall, including 15 steals on the game. The Lady J's 71% from the free throw line was not enough to get past the Pirates, as Seton Hall went 14-18 from the charity stripe. Freshman Abby Wentworth had an impressive first half as her six points and three steals kept the game close.
The Lady Jaspers went 7-9 from the free throw line in the final five minutes of the game, shooting 15-21 from the game as well as posting a 49% field goal percentage. Manhattan kept its poise against their Big East opponent for most of the game and put up an impressive showing against the heavily favored team.
The Lady J's will return to action on Sunday, when they play their first regular season game in Draddy Gym against local rival Fordham University. The Battle of the Bronx will start at 4:00 p.m. on November 11.
