Jaspers Open Home Slate With"Battle of the Bronx"

Manhattan-Fordham Game Notes

GAMEDAY
After starting the season with five straight on the road, Manhattan (2-3) opens its home schedule tonight against local rival Fordham (3-2) in the 43rd installment of the "Battle of the Bronx."  The Jaspers are coming off a 75-66 victory at NJIT on Sunday afternoon, while Fordham saw its three-game winning streak snapped with a 48-47 loss to TCU on Saturday.  Prior to the contest, which will be webcast live on JasperVision, senior forward Lindsey Loutsenhizer will be recognized for scoring her 1,000th career point.

THE MANHATTAN JASPERS
The Jaspers (2-3) return to Draddy Gymnasium for their first home game of the 2011-12 season after picking up a 75-66 win at NJIT on Sunday afternoon.  Sophomore guard/forward Monica Roeder leads the Jaspers and ranks third in the MAAC with 16.6 points per game.  She also averages a MAAC-best 3.0 three-pointers per contest.  Senior forward Lindsey Loutsenhizer notched her first double-double of the season and sank her 100th career three-pointer against NJIT.  Loutsenhizer averages 14.2 points and a team-leading 7.0 rebounds per game, ranking sixth in the MAAC in both categories.  Senior guard/forward Schyanne Halfkenny contributes 7.8 points and 5.4 boards per contest.  Junior guard Maggie Blair paces the Jaspers in both assists (4.6 apg) and steals (2.0 spg), while senior forward Nadia Peters is fourth in the MAAC with 1.4 blocks per game.  After tonight, Manhattan hits the road for its next two games, starting Saturday afternoon at Lafayette.

THE FORDHAM RAMS
Fordham (3-2) is coming off an appearance at the UCF Thanksgiving Tournament last weekend.  The Rams defeated host Central Florida, 70-57, before falling to TCU, 48-47, in the championship game.  Sophomore guard Abigail Corning, the Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week, leads the Rams in scoring (16.6 ppg) and has reached double-figures in every game this season, inclduing a career-high 29 against Central Florida.  Freshman forward Christina Gaskin is the current Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week.  She contributes 8.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per outing.  Gaskin recorded a double-double in the win over Central Florida.  Senior guard Becky Peters ranks second on the team in scoring, averaging 9.8 points per game, to go along with a team-best 7.6 rebounds per contest.  Junior guard Arielle Collins distributes 4.0 assists per game.  Stephanie Gaitley, a 25-year coaching veteran, is in her first season as Fordham's head coach.

SERIES HISTORY
The Jaspers and Rams have met at least once a season since 1979-80.  Manhattan has faced Fordham more than any other non-conference opponent.  Tonight's contest is the 43rd all-time meeting in a series began  Manhattan leads the series 24-18.  The Jaspers have won two straight against the Rams, including a 49-45 triumph at Rose Hill Gym last season.

BATTLE OF THE BRONX
The Manhattan-Fordham series for the 2011-12 academic year is currently tied 2-2 after the fall season.  The Jaspers notched victories in volleyball (3-0) and women's soccer (1-0), while the Rams won the matchups in men's soccer (2-0) and women's tennis (7-0).  The men's basketball teams from the two schools will get together for the 104th time at Draddy Gymnasium on Dec. 7.

LAST TIME OUT
The Jaspers scored the first eight points of the game and led by as many as 26 before holding off a furious NJIT rally to post a 75-66 victory at the Fleisher Athletic Center on Sunday afternoon.  Manhattan controlled the first half from the start and held a 36-15 lead at intermission.  The cushion reached a game-high 26 points eight minutes into the second half before NJIT used the three-ball to get back into the game.  NJIT sank 11 treys in the second half (14 in the game), but was unable to overcome its early deficit, and the Jaspers left New Jersey with a 75-66 win.  Lindsey Loutsenhizer had a double-double for the Jaspers, notching 16 points and tying a career-high with 14 rebounds.  Monica Roeder tallied a team-high 19 points, while Schyanne Halfkenny and Toni-Ann Lawrence each contributed 10 points.

NEW-LOOK DRADDY
There are some noticable changes at Draddy Gymnasium for the 2011-12 campaign.  Along with the introduction of a new primary logo over the summer, a new floor design was unveiled this season.  In addition, the center scoreboard was replaced and two new video boards were installed, one directly behind the visiting bench and one at midcourt on the other side.  Finally, this year marks the debut of courtside seating, giving fans an opportunity to get closer to the action than ever before.