Manhattan University Athletics

Box Score 

RIVERDALE, N.Y. ? The Draddy Gymnasium faithful got their first chance to see the Manhattan College women's basketball team on Saturday afternoon, and the Lady Jaspers didn't disappoint their home fans.  Manhattan (1-3) put forth a game effort against a Big East opponent, keeping it close with St. John's (3-0) the entire way before a late rally gave the Red Storm a 63-54 victory in Manhattan's 2008-09 home opener.

The Red Storm raced out of the gate, scoring the first seven points of the game and building a 13-point 18-5 advantage barely seven minutes into the contest.  After a layup by Da'Shena Stevens gave St. John's a 20-7 lead with 11:33 left in the half, Manhattan responded with a 9-0 run over the next three minutes and cut the lead to four at 20-16 on Schyanne Halfkenny's (Hyde Park, Mass.) steal and coast-to-coast layup at the 8:26 mark.

After a St. John's timeout, the Red Storm went on a 6-2 rally to bring their lead back to eight at 26-18, but a layup by Michelle Pacheco (Bronx, N.Y.), a steal by Alyssa Herrington (Cambridge, N.Y.) and a three-pointer by Annie McIntyre (Portland, Ore.) brought the Lady Jaspers within three, 26-23, with 3:12 remaining before halftime.  A turnaround jumper by Alicia Marculitis (Worcester, Mass.) made it 28-25 St. John's with 53 seconds left in the half, and the Red Storm held a 30-25 advantage at the break.

The Red Storm increased their lead to nine early in the second half before a 7-2 Manhattan rally, capped by back-to-back Marculitis buckets, brought the Lady Jaspers' deficit back to four, 41-37, with 13:28 to go.  After a Stevens layup increased the St. John's lead to six at the 5:34 mark, Pacheco converted a traditional three-point play on the other end to pull the Lady Jaspers within three, 50-47. 

On the next St. John's possession, Kelly McManmon hit a trey (the Red Storm's only three-pointer of the game) to bring the lead back to six.  Abby Wentworth (Portland, Maine) followed with a jumper to make it 53-49, but that's as close as Manhattan would get the rest of the way.  With time running out, the Lady Jaspers were forced to foul to stop the clock, and St. John's converted four free throws down the stretch to close out a 63-54 triumph.

Pacheco had 11 points to lead the Lady Jaspers, while Marculitis tallied a career-high 10 points on 5-for-6 shooting.  McIntyre had nine points on three three-pointers and added three rebounds.  Lindsey Loutsenhizer (North Huntingdon, Pa.) led Manhattan with a career-high seven rebounds, and Herrington registered career-bests with seven assists and three steals.  As a team, the Lady Jaspers shot 42.6 percent (23-of-54) from the field, but shot just 23.5 percent (4-of-17) from three-point range and 30.8 percent (4-of-13) at the free throw line.

“We just couldn't hit any threes, and that made a big difference,” Head Coach Myndi Hill said.  “We got quite a few good looks.  We just need to knock them down.”

Stevens tallied a double-double for the Red Storm, posting game-highs with 20 points and 13 rebounds.  She also had three blocks, two assists and two steals.  Monique McLean finished with 18 points, five boards and a team-leading three assists for St. John's.  Joy McCorvey added eight points and Kelly McManmon grabbed six boards, as St. John's outrebounded Manhattan 40-30.  The Red Storm shot 43.4 percent (23-of-53) from the field, including 48 percent (12-of-25) in the first half, 12.5 percent (1-of-8) from beyond the arc, and 69.6 percent (16-of-23) at the line.

The Lady Jaspers make the short trip to Long Island for a 7 p.m. showdown with Hofstra (0-2) on Tuesday night.  Manhattan is back at Draddy Gymnasium on Friday to start a four-game homestand against Vermont (2-1) at 4 p.m.