Jaspers Return Home For Matchup With Fairfield

Manhattan-Fairfield Game Notes

GAMEDAY
The 2011-12 regular season reaches its halfway point as Manhattan (8-6, 2-0 MAAC) plays host to Fairfield (9-4, 2-0 MAAC) this afternoon at Draddy Gymnasium in a matchup of two of the three remaining undefeated teams in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play.  The Jaspers have won six straight, including a 61-46 victory at Loyola on Wednesday night.  Fairfield has won its last two games and six out of seven.  The Stags are coming off a 59-47 victory at Saint Peter's on Wednesday night.

THE MANHATTAN JASPERS
The Jaspers (8-6, 2-0 MAAC) return home looking to extend their six-game winning streak.  Manhattan played its first road game in nearly a month on Wednesday night, and posted a 61-46 victory over Loyola.  Senior forward Lindsey Loutsenhizer had 15 points against Loyola to move into ninth place on Manhattan's all-time scoring list.  Loutsenhizer leads the Jaspers in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 13.3 points and 6.4 boards per contest.  She's also tied for the team lead in assists (2.6 apg) and ranks third in the MAAC in steals (2.2 spg).  Sophomore guard Monica Roeder contributes 11.4 points per game, while senior guard/forward Schyanne Halfkenny tallies 9.4 points per outing.  Senior forward Nadia Peters ranks second in the league with 2.6 steals per game, and she also paces the Jaspers with 1.1 blocks per contest.  Junior guard Maggie Blair dishes out 2.6 assists per game.  As a team, Manhattan ranks 13th in the nation in steals (13.0 spg).

THE FAIRFIELD STAGS 
Fairfield (9-4, 2-0 MAAC) has won six of its last seven games, including its last two.  The Stags' only loss during that span came against No. 2 Connecticut.  Fairfield is coming off a 59-47 victory at Saint Peter's on Wednesday night.  Senior forward Taryn Johnson, a Preseason First Team All-MAAC selection, leads the Stags with 11.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.  She also averages a team-high 1.5 steals and a MAAC-best 1.8 blocks per contest.  Johnson is also the MAAC leader in field goal percentage (.477).  Senior guard Desiree Pina contributes 11.1 points and 4.3 rebounds to go along with a team-leading 3.5 assists per outing.  Junior guard Katelyn Linney notches 9.7 points per game, including 2.4 treys per contest, while sophomore guard Alexys Vasquez is the MAAC leader in three-point percentage (.449).  Junior forward Brittany MacFarlane ranks second on the team with 5.5 rebounds per game.

SERIES HISTORY
Manhattan has played Fairfield more than any other opponent in program history.  Today's game is the 73rd meeting in a series that's tied at 36-36.  The Jaspers swept the season series in 2010-11, posting a 52-44 victory at Alumni Hall on Jan. 16, 2011 and a 53-44 triumph at Draddy Gymnasium on Feb. 25, 2011.  Overall, Manhattan has won five straight against Fairfield.

LAST TIME OUT
Manhattan extended its winning streak to six with a 61-46 victory at Loyola on Wednesday night.  The Jaspers used an early 9-0 run to take a 13-4 lead, but Loyola battled back within one with 2:25 left in the first half.  Manhattan ran the lead back to eight points before Loyola got a three-pointer at the buzzer to make it 29-24 at the break.  The Jaspers held the Greyhounds without a field goal for a span of nearly 10 minutes in the second half, and their lead reached a game-high 18 points at 56-38 with 2:47 remaining.  The Jaspers held on for a 61-46 win, snapping their six-game losing streak against the Greyhounds.  Nadia Peters notched her first double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Lindsey Loutsenhizer talleid a team-high 16 points.