Box Score
Click here to view the 2011-12 Manhattan Women's Basketball Yearbook
LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. - The Manhattan College women's basketball team came storming back from a 15-point deficit with five minutes to play to within four in the waning moments on Friday night. However, Siena (9-15, 7-8 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) held off the Jaspers' (14-13, 8-7 MAAC) rally to post a 61-56 victory at UHY Court at the Alumni Recreation Center. The loss snapped Manhattan's two-game winning streak.
Siena held a 53-38 cushion with 5:02 left before Alyssa Herrington (Cambridge, N.Y.) nailed a three from the top of the key to start the Manhattan rally. After the Saints missed a trey on the other end, Ashley Stec (Cazenovia, N.Y.) threw up a prayer to beat the shot clock on the Jaspers' next possession, and it was nothing but net. Nicole Isaacs (Fair Haven, N.J.) then stripped Siena's Tehresa Coles and passed to Toni-Ann Lawrence (Elmont, N.Y.), who then fed Herrington for another open trey that brought Manhattan within six, 53-47, with 3:16 remaining.
Following a Siena timeout, the Saints committed turnovers on their next two possessions, the second of which was a Stec steal at the 2:59 mark. Isaacs fired a three that was short, but Stec was right there to grab the offensive rebound and put in the follow, trimming the deficit to four, 53-49. However, Siena got a layup from Lily Grenci and a three-pointer by Maja Gerlyng to run the margin back to nine, 58-49, with 1:30 left.
The Jaspers kept coming, though, and a Lindsey Loutsenhizer (North Huntingdon, Pa.) layup made it 60-55 with 28 seconds to go. Manhattan then got the ball back after a Siena turnover on the inbounds play, and, after a missed three, Loutsenhizer was fouled with six seconds remaining. She made 1-of-2, meaning the Jaspers were forced to foul. Gerlyng then drained a free throw on the other end to secure the Saints' 61-56 victory.
The final stretch was the last rally in a game of runs. Leading 12-11 eight minutes into the game, Siena went on an 11-0 spurt to open up a 23-11 advantage. Manhattan stormed right back, though, using a 12-2 run of its own to get back within two at 25-23 with 1:56 remaining in the first half. However, Siena got three-pointers from Kelsey Booth and Cristina Centeno on its next two possessions to push the margin back to eight points, 31-23, and the Saints led 33-25 at halftime.
After Loutsenhizer started the second half with a layup, Siena scored five quick points to again make the margin double-digits, 38-27, before six straight Manhattan points brought the Jaspers back within six, 38-33. However, after Schyanne Halfkenny (Hyde Park, Mass.) sank a pair of foul shots at the 17:35 mark, Manhattan would be held scoreless for more than seven minutes. Siena scored 11 points during that span to open up its largest lead of the contest, 49-33.
Herrington drained five three-pointers and finished with a season-high 19 points to lead the Jaspers. Halfkenny added 14 points, while Loutsenhizer contributed eight points. Lawrence grabbed a season-high eight rebounds to go along with three steals, and Maggie Blair (Briarcliff, N.Y.) handed out four assists. Overall, the Jaspers shot 38.5 percent (20-of-52) from the field, 32 percent (8-of-25) from long range, and 66.7 percent (8-of-12) at the free throw line.
Grenci had a double-double for the Saints, tallying 13 points and 13 rebounds. Gerlyng led Siena with 15 points, and she also collected three steals. Clara Sole Anglada registered nine points and five rebounds, while Booth had nine points on three treys off the bench. Coles distributed six assists for Siena. The Saints shot 50 percent (19-of-38) from the floor and outrebounded the Jaspers 28-24. Siena shot 53.3 percent (8-of-15) from three-point land and 78.9 percent (15-of-19) at the charity stripe.
Despite the loss, Manhattan still controls its own fate in terms of seeding for the MAAC Tournament. If they win their remaining three games, the Jaspers will be seeded no lower than fourth, and they need just one more victory to clinch a first-round bye. They'll get their first chance to pick up that win on Sunday, when they return home for a 2 p.m. matchup with Saint Peter's (3-23, 3-12 MAAC). It will be "Senior Day" at Draddy Gymnasium, as Halfkenny, Herrington, Loutsenhizer and Nadia Peters (Bronx, N.Y.) will be honored prior to their final home game in a Manhattan uniform.
NOTES: The Jaspers and Saints split the season series for the third straight season...Siena leads the all-time series 33-19...Herrington became the second Manhattan player this season to hit five treys in a game...Monica Roeder (Marlton, N.J.) did it against East Tennessee State (8) on Nov. 19 and against Rider (5) on Feb. 12...Stec tied a career-high with five points in the contest...Lawrence's career-high was nine rebounds against Niagara on Jan. 8, 2011...With her next blocked shot, Peters will tie Lori Toomey's school-record of 141 career blocks...A group of approximately 20 youth basketball players from Herrington's hometown of Cambridge, N.Y., were at the game, and she signed autographs for the team after the contest.
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