Jaspers Begin Final Road Trip at Canisius

Manhattan-Canisius Game Notes

GAMEDAY
The Jaspers (15-13, 9-7 MAAC) enter the final weekend of the regular season tied for third place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), and Manhattan locks up at least the No. 4 seed in next weekend's MAAC Tournament with a win over Canisius (12-15, 6-10 MAAC) tonight at the Koessler Athletic Center.  Manhattan is coming off a 72-59 victory over Saint Peter's on Sunday afternoon, while Canisius has dropped three straight, including a 63-51 loss to Fairfield on Sunday.

THE MANHATTAN JASPERS
Manhattan (15-13, 9-7 MAAC) clinches at least the No. 4 seed in next weekend's MAAC Tournament with its next victory.  The Jaspers have won seven of their last nine and are coming off a 72-59 win over Saint Peter's on Sunday.  Senior forward Lindsey Loutsenhizer is Manhattan's leading scorer and rebounder.  She averages 12.2 points and 6.0 boards per outing.  Loutsenhizer also leads the Jaspers with 2.5 assists per game.  In addition, she records 2.0 steals per contest.  Senior guard/forward Schyanne Halfkenny notches 10.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest, and she leads the Jaspers with 11.8 points per game in conference play.  Sophomore guard Monica Roeder tallies 9.8 points per game, and she drains 1.9 three-pointers a night.  Senior forward Nadia Peters, who became Manhattan's all-time career blocks leader in the win over Saint Peter's, averages 1.1 blocks per game.  She also ranks third in the MAAC in steals (2.2 spg).

THE CANISIUS GOLDEN GRIFFINS
The Griffs (12-15, 6-10 MAAC) enter tonight's game looking to snap a three-game losing streak.  Canisius dropped a 63-51 decision against Fairfield on Sunday afternoon.  Sophomore forward Jamie Ruttle paces the squad in both scoring and rebounding.  She averages 11.4 points and 5.1 boards per game.  Junior guard Ashley Durham contributes 10.1 points and a team-leading 4.4 assists per outing, and her .887 free throw percentage is the best in the MAAC.  Durham also notches a team-best 1.1 steals per contest.  Sophomore guard Jen Morabito leads the MAAC in three-point field goals.  She sinks 2.2 treys a night and is shooting .392 from long range.  Morabito averages 9.3 points per game.  As a team, Canisius leads the MAAC in three-point percentage (.356).  The Griffs, who are currently in eighth place in the MAAC, end the regular season by hosting Siena on Sunday afternoon.

SERIES HISTORY
The Jaspers have beaten the Griffs four straight times, including a 73-51 triumph at Draddy Gymnasium on Jan. 13.  Last season at the Koessler Athletic Center, the Jaspers notched a 55-30 victory, their fewest points allowed since the 1991-92 season.  This is the 50th all-time meeting between the schools, and Canisius holds a 28-21 edge in the series.

LAST TIME OUT
Nadia Peters became Manhattan's all-time blocks leader, and she added a career-high 18 points, as the Jaspers led from start to finish in a 72-59 Senior Day victory over Saint Peter's at Draddy Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon.  With the win, Manhattan clinched a first-round bye in the MAAC Tournament.  The Jaspers opened up a 21-10 advantage midway through the first half, and the lead was never below 10 after that.  Manhattan led 43-27 at the break, then extended the margin to 23 points, 53-30, early in the second half.  The seniors, who combined for 53 points, 21 rebounds and 13 assists in the game, were removed one-by-one in the final minutes of the 72-59 Manhattan win.  Schyanne Halfkenny had a game-high 19 points and Lindsey Loutsenhizer tallied 11 points, while Alyssa Herrington distributed six assists.

TOURNAMENT SCENARIOS
With two games remaining in the regular season, the Jaspers' MAAC Tournament seed and opponent are still up in the air.  Manhattan is tied with Loyola for third place in the MAAC and currently owns the tiebreaker over the Greyhounds, but that could change depending on how both teams do this weekend.  If Manhattan and Loyola both go 2-0 this weekend, the Greyhounds will gain the tiebreaker and be the No. 3 seed.  Manhattan has clinched a first-round bye and guarantees itself at least the No. 4 seed with one win this weekend.