Manhattan Visits Rider On Sunday Afternoon

Manhattan-Rider Game Notes

GAMEDAY
The Jaspers (12-12, 6-6 MAAC), who saw their three-game winning streak snapped with a 61-55 loss to Niagara on Friday night, hit the road this afternoon with a matchup against Rider (10-14, 2-11 MAAC) at Alumni Gymnasium.  Rider enters the contest looking to snap a nine-game losing streak.  The Broncs dropped a 61-58 overtime decision against Canisius on Friday night.  This is the start of a busy span for Manhattan, which plays four games in eight days, including this afternoon's contest.

THE MANHATTAN JASPERS
Manhattan (12-12, 6-6 MAAC) enters today's game tied for fourth place in the MAAC.  The Jaspers saw their three-game winning streak snapped with a 61-55 loss to Niagara on Friday night.  Senior forward Lindsey Loutsenhizer had 20 points against Niagara to move into sixth place on Manhattan's all-time scoring list.  Loutsenhizer leads the Jaspers in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 12.9 points and 6.3 boards per contest.  She also hands out a team-leading 2.6 assists per game.  Sophomore guard Monica Roeder contributes 10.3 points per outing and leads the Jaspers with 1.9 three-pointers per game.  Senior guard Schyanne Halfkenny, who's playing in her 100th career game this afternoon, adds 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.  Senior forward Nadia Peters ranks second in the MAAC in steals (2.3 spg) while also leading the team with 1.0 blocks per game.  Peters also grabs 4.8 rebounds per contest.

THE RIDER BRONCS 
After starting MAAC play 2-2, Rider (10-14, 2-11 MAAC) has dropped nine straight, including a 61-58 overtime decision to Canisius on Friday.  Sophomore guard/forward MyNeshia McKenzie leads the Broncs in both scoring and rebounding.  She averages 11.4 points and a MAAC-best 9.0 rebounds per game.  McKenzie also tallies 1.7 steals a night.  Junior forward/center Caitlin Bopp contributes 8.7 points per game while shooting .486 from the field.  She adds 7.0 rebounds per contest.  Senior guard Alyssa Parsons leads Rider with 3.0 assists per outing while also tallying 1.1 steals per contest.  Along with Parsons, freshman guard Emily Fazzini has started all 24 games.  Fazzini drains 0.8 three-pointers per outing.  Senior center Sarah Homan notches 0.7 blocks per game to lead the squad.  The Broncs are in the midst of a three-game homestand.  Iona visits Alumni Gymnasium on Friday night.

SERIES HISTORY
Manhattan opened its 2011-12 MAAC schedule with a 59-45 triumph over Rider at Draddy Gymnasium on Jan. 2.  Manhattan has won three straight against the Broncs.  Overall, this is the 34th meeting between the schools, and the Jaspers lead the all-time series 25-8.  The Jaspers are 9-4 all-time at Alumni Gymnasium, including a 71-43 victory last season.

LAST TIME OUT
Manhattan saw its three-game winning streak come to an end with a 61-55 loss to Niagara at Draddy Gymnasium on Friday night.  There were seven ties and 14 lead changes in the contest, which was back-and-forth throughout.  Manhattan held a 27-26 edge at halftime, but Niagara started the second half on a 10-4 run to regain the lead.  With Niagara leading 52-46, Alyssa Herrington drained a trey to cut Manhattan's deficit in half at the 3:21 mark.  After a Niagara basket, Monica Roeder sank a trey to make it 54-52, but the Jaspers would get no closer.  Niagara extended its cushion to nine points, 61-52, before a late Lindsey Loutsenhizer three-pointer finished off the scoring.  Loutsenhizer notched a game-high 20 points to move into sixth place on the Jaspers' all-time scoring list, while Roeder added 12 points.