Box Score
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RIVERDALE, N.Y. - The Manhattan College women's basketball team scored the first eight points of the game and led 24-4 midway through the first half before Saint Peter's rallied to pull within two on Saturday afternoon. However, the Lady Jaspers (18-6, 10-3 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) countered every run and never relinquished the lead in a 64-54 victory over the Peahens (3-21, 3-10 MAAC) at Draddy Gymnasium. The win was Manhattan's sixth straight and 10th in 11 games.
"It was a very, very tough grind-it-out, possession by possession game," Head Coach John Olenowski said. "Saint Peter's plays hard, and they really came to play today. It was a nice win to get."
The Lady Jaspers led 8-0 just 1:28 into the game, and extended that advantage to 18-2 on a three-pointer by Abby Wentworth (Portland, Maine) at the 15:21 mark. Manhattan went up by 20 when Alicia Marculitis (Worcester, Mass.) hit a jumper to make it 24-4 with 10:36 remaining before halftime. However, Saint Peter's gradually chipped away at the lead, and got within eight on a three-pointer by Lauren Morris with 4:55 left in the half.
Manhattan led 36-27 at halftime, but the Peahens notched the first seven points of the second half to make it a two-point game, 36-34. From there, Monica Roeder (Marlton, N.J.) took matters into her own hands. Roeder drained a trey on the next Manhattan possession to bring the lead back to five. She then hit a layup and back-to-back threes to make it 47-34 with 13:23 to play. Following an Alyssa Herrington (Cambridge, N.Y.) steal, Schyanne Halfkenny (Hyde Park, Mass.) added a layup to cap the 13-0 Manhattan run and prompt a Saint Peter's timeout.
"It seemed like Monica hit a three every time our backs were against the wall," Olenowski said. "She was 4-for-5 from three, and it seemed like every single one was a dagger to Saint Peter's."
Following the timeout, the Peahens scored six straight points to get back within 49-40, but the Lady Jaspers again responded, going on a 7-0 run to extend their lead to 16 points, 56-40. Saint Peter's cut the lead to eight, 62-54, on Khadijah Young's three-pointer with 1:16 to go before Allison Skrec (Roselle, N.J.) wrapped up the scoring with a layup in the final minute.
Roeder sank four three-pointers and finished with a career-high 21 points. She also tallied six rebounds and two assists. Lindsey Loutsenhizer (North Huntingdon, Pa.) recorded her first double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Wentworth tallied 14 points, six boards and six assists. Manhattan shot 43.8 percent (21-of-48) from the field, including 50 percent (8-of-16) from downtown, and 73.7 percent (14-of-19) at the free throw line.
Teresa Manigrasso led the Peahens with 14 points. Morris added 11 points and six rebounds, while Jynae Judson just missed a double-double with nine points and a game-high nine boards. Young handed out five assists, while Quiana Porter grabbed seven rebounds off the bench. The Peahens shot 32.1 percent (17-of-53) from the field and outrebounded the Lady Jaspers 35-33. Saint Peter's shot 46.7 percent (7-of-15) from beyond the arc and 76.5 percent (13-of-17) at the charity stripe.
The Lady Jaspers conclude their three-game homestand on Monday, when they host Iona (9-16, 5-8 MAAC) at 7 p.m. in their annual "Pink Zone" game for breast cancer awareness. Fans who make a donation to the American Cancer Society will receive free admission, and the first 400 students in attendance will receive a free t-shirt.
NOTES: It was the 70th all-time meeting between the schools...Saint Peter's leads the all-time series 50-20, but Manhattan has won four straight against the Peahens...Saint Peter's hasn't win in Riverdale since the 2005-06 season...The Lady Jaspers have won at least 10 MAAC games in three of the last four seasons...With the win, Manhattan clinched a first-round bye in the MAAC Tournament...Herrington made her first start since Jan. 22...Herrington became the first Manhattan player to foul out of a game since she fouled out against Loyola on Jan. 2...Roeder tallied 20 points in the season-opening win over St. Francis (NY) on Nov. 12...Loutsenhizer record her first double-double since a 13-point, 12-rebound performance at Rider on Jan. 31, 2009...The contest capped a span where Manhattan played 11 out of 13 games during the day.
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