Lady Jaspers Bounce Back With 78-71 Victory Over Canisius

RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Four players scored in double figures, led by a career-high 24 points from Lindsey Loutsenhizer (North Huntingdon, Pa.), as the Manhattan College women's basketball team (14-13, 9-7 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) snapped its two-game losing streak with a 78-71 victory over Canisius (10-17, 5-11 MAAC) at Draddy Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon.

Manhattan came out of the gate on fire, draining its first four shots and five of its first six to go in front 14-4 just 3:31 into the game.  After a layup by Nadia Peters (Bronx, N.Y.) put the Lady Jaspers up 16-6 at the 14:38 mark, Canisius went on a 26-3 run to take a 32-19 advantage with 5:59 left in the first half.

After a Loutsenhizer trey trimmed Manhattan's deficit to 10, the Lady Jaspers forced four Canisius turnovers over the next three minutes, outscoring the Griffs 9-0 during that span to make it a one-point game, 32-31, with 1:53 remaining before halftime.  Brianna Lucas hit a jumper to again make it a three-point Canisius lead before a pair of Abby Wentworth (Portland, Maine) free throws brought the Griffs' lead back to one, 34-33.  Canisius got a pair of late free throws from Allison Braun to take a 36-33 advantage into the locker room.

"Our defense got us going in the first half, and it really kept us in the game when we needed it to," Head Coach John Olenowski said.

Just as they came out strong in the first half, the Lady Jaspers raced out of the gate to start the second half.  Manhattan scored the first 11 points of the period to pull in front, 44-36, and the Lady Jaspers never relinquished the lead.  The Lady Jaspers pushed their advantage to a game-high 13 points after a Peters layup made it 57-44 with 10:16 remaining, but Canisius responded with a 10-3 rally to get back within six, 60-54.

The Lady Jaspers notched the next four points to again make it a 10-point game before the Griffs again charged back to trim their deficit to five, 67-62, with 1:30 left.  However, on the next Manhattan possession, Kerri White (Flushing, N.Y.) hit a three from the right wing that gave the Lady Jaspers a 70-62 edge with 1:01 remaining.  Canisius used the long ball to get back in the game and got within five, 76-71, with 24 seconds left, but the Lady Jaspers went 6-for-8 at the free throw line in the final minute to seal the 78-71 triumph.

Loutsenhizer posted a career-high five assists and grabbed six rebounds to go along with her 24 points.  Wentworth tallied 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists, while Michelle Pacheco (Bronx, N.Y.) just missed a double-double with 16 points and nine assists, which tied her career-high.  White added 10 points, and Peters notched eight points and seven boards.  Manhattan shot 50 percent (24-of-48) from the field and outrebounded Canisius 35-26.  The Lady Jaspers shot 40 percent (8-of-20) from downtown and 71 percent (22-of-31) at the free throw line.  As a team, Manhattan dished out 18 assists on 24 field goals.

Ellie Radke had 15 points to lead the Griffs.  Brittane Russell added 11 points and six assists, while Braun and Tasia Lee each tallied 10 points and five rebounds for Canisius.  The Griffs shot 43.1 percent (25-of-58) from the field, 43.5 percent (10-of-23) from three-point range, and 84.6 percent (11-of-13) at the charity stripe.

The Lady Jaspers continue their season-ending three-game homestand on Friday, when they host Loyola (12-15, 7-9 MAAC) at 5 p.m.  Manhattan clinches a first-round bye in the MAAC Tournament with a victory over the Greyhounds, who won the first meeting 74-57.  The game is the opener of a Manhattan basketball doubleheader.  Following the women's game, the men's team will host its Senior Night game against Niagara at 7:30 p.m.