Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. - It sure didn't take the Manhattan College women's basketball team long to recover from Sunday afternoon's loss at Rider. The Lady Jaspers (11-11, 6-5 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) went on a 22-2 run to open the game and never looked back en route to a 74-53 victory over Siena (7-13, 5-6 MAAC) at Draddy Gymnasium. Manhattan shot a season-high 59.2 percent (29-of-49) from the field and 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from three-point range in the game.
"We shot the ball well and hit some nice three-pointers," Head Coach John Olenowski said. "Those threes really opened up our inside game, and we ran the offense incredibly smoothly tonight."
After Siena scored the first two points of the game on a Serena Moore layup, Manhattan went on a 22-0 run over the next 11:16. The Lady Jaspers drained four three-pointers during that span. Siena finally cracked the scoring column again when Cristina Centeno hit a free throw at the 7:29 mark before a Kerri White (Flushing, N.Y.) trey pushed the Lady Jaspers' lead to 22 points, 25-3, with 6:11 remaining in the half. The Saints ended the half on a 17-8 run to trim their deficit to 13 points, 33-20, at intermission. Manhattan shot 54.5 percent (12-of-22) from the field in the first half, including a blistering 60 percent (6-of-10) from three-point range.
Manhattan was never challenged in the second half, as the closest Siena was able to get was within 12 points at 42-30 with 15:09 remaining. However, a Michelle Pacheco (Bronx, N.Y.) trey on the other end ignited a 16-5 Manhattan run that pushed the lead to a game-high 23 points, 58-35, with 8:45 left. Siena got back within 17 at 70-53 with 1:33 remaining, then Manhattan scored the final four points of the game to wrap up a 74-53 victory.
Pacheco notched a game-high 21 points to go along with five rebounds and three assists. Lindsey Loutsenhizer (North Huntingdon, Pa.) tallied 18 points, six rebounds and three assists, and Abby Wentworth (Portland, Maine) added 14 points. White contributed nine points on three treys, while Toni-Ann Lawrence (Elmont, N.Y.) recorded six points on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting and added four rebounds. Laura Rivera (Elmont, N.Y.) tied a career-high with five assists, as the Lady Jaspers dished out 17 assists on 29 made field goals. The Lady Jaspers shot 57.1 percent (8-of-14) at the free throw line.
Centeno led Siena with 16 points. Moore just missed a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds, as the Saints outrebounded the Lady Jaspers 32-26. Allie Lindemann added nine points, while Merrick Volpe handed out a team-high three assists. Siena shot 37.3 percent (19-of-51) from the field, including just 18.2 percent (4-of-22) from downtown, and 73.3 percent (11-of-15) at the charity stripe.
The Lady Jaspers return to action on Monday night, when they visit Saint Peter's (9-13, 5-6 MAAC) at 7 p.m. Manhattan posted a 66-48 victory over the Peahens at Draddy Gymnasium on Jan. 29.
NOTES: The Lady Jaspers snapped a two-game losing streak against the Saints...Siena leads the all-time series 30-17...Manhattan improved to 5-0 this season when having an assist/turnover ratio of 1:1 or better...The Lady Jaspers committed fewer than 15 turnovers for the fifth time this season...Pacheco posted her sixth 20-point game of the season...Rivera also had five assists against Marist on Feb. 19, 2009...It was "Alumni Night" at Draddy Gymnasium, and the Lady Jaspers held an alumni reception following the game...In the second game of the doubleheader, the Manhattan men hosted Marist in a contest that was nationally televised on ESPNU.
