Jaspers Conclude Preseason WNIT Against East Tennessee State

Manhattan-ETSU Game Notes

GAMEDAY
The Jaspers (0-2) conclude their participation in the Preseason Women's NIT this afternoon with a neutral-site, consolation round matchup against East Tennessee State (0-2).  Manhattan began the tournament with a 64-45 loss to Hartford, then dropped a 69-52 decision to host McNeese State last night.  ETSU suffered an 87-76 defeat at the hands of Tennessee Tech before falling, 59-47, to UAB on Friday.  ETSU was picked to finish third in the Atlantic Sun Conference Preseason Poll.

THE MANHATTAN JASPERS
Manhattan (0-2) enters today's contest still looking for its first win after suffering a 69-52 defeat against McNeese State last night.  The Jaspers opened the Preseason Women's NIT with a 64-45 loss to Hartford.  Sophomore guard Monica Roeder, who collected a team-high 15 points against McNeese State, leads the Jaspers in scoring.  She averages 12.0 points per game.  Roeder is shooting .474 from the field and .500 from three-point land this season.  Senior forward Lindsey Loutsenhizer contributes 8.5 points and a team-leading 7.0 rebounds per game.  Against McNeese State, she became just the sixth player in program history with 1,000 points and 600 rebounds.  Senior guard/forward Schyanne Halfkenny contributes 7.5 points and 5.0 boards per outing.  She also leads the Jaspers with 3.0 steals per game.  Senior forward Nadia Peters notches 1.5 blocks per game, while junior guard Maggie Blair hands out 3.0 assists per contest.

THE EAST TENNESSEE STATE LADY BUCCANEERS
East Tennessee State (0-2) lost its opener to Tennessee Tech, 87-76, before dropping a 59-47 decision against UAB.  Sophomore guard/forward Destiny Mitchell, a Preseason All-Atlantic Sun selection, leads ETSU with 15.5 points per game.  Parker averaged 14.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.2 steals per contest last season.  Senior guard Tarita Gordon is the only other Lady Buccaneer averaging double-figures in scoring.  She pours in 13.0 points per contest to go along with 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.  Junior forward/center Tosha Austin leads the team in rebounding, pulling down 9.5 boards per outing, while also recording 3.0 blocks per game.  The winningest coach in school history, Karen Kemp is in her 18th season at ETSU.  She's taken the Lady Bucs to three NCAA Tournaments.  The Lady Bucs were picked to finish third in this year's Atlantic Sun Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. 

SERIES HISTORY
Manhattan has never played East Tennessee State in women's basketball.  This marks the Jaspers' second consecutive game against an opponent they were facing for the first time.  The only member of the Atlantic Sun Conference that Manhattan has ever faced is Stetson, who the Jaspers have met three times.  The Jaspers are 2-1 all-time against the Hatters, including a 66-63 victory on Dec. 20, 2001.

LAST TIME OUT
A 23-5 run to end the first half helped McNeese State secure a 69-52 victory over the Jaspers in the consolation round of the Preseason Women's NIT on Friday night.  Manhattan held a 17-16 lead with 8:01 left in the first half before McNeese State nailed a trey on each of its next four possessions to pull away (McNeese State drained 11 threes in the game).  The Cowgirls held a 39-22 advantage at intermission.  Manhattan trimmed its deficit to 13 points midway through the second half, but that's as close as it would get the rest of the way.  The Jaspers ended the game on a 12-1 run to turn a 28-point deficit into a 69-52 final.  Monica Roeder led the way with 15 points, while Schyanne Halfkenny added 10 points.  Lindsey Loutsenhizer grabbed nine rebounds to go along with eight points.