No. 3 Seed at Stake In Regular Season Finale

Manhattan-Niagara Game Notes

GAMEDAY
Manhattan (16-13, 10-7 MAAC) concludes the 2011-12 regular season this afternoon against Niagara (11-18, 8-9 MAAC) at the Gallagher Center.  The Jaspers are assured of either the No. 3 or 4 seed in next weekend's MAAC Tournament and are coming off a 50-40 victory at Canisius on Friday night.  Overall, Manhattan has won seven of its last nine games.  Niagara will be seeded anywhere between fifth and seventh in the MAAC Tournament.  The Purple Eagles notched an 87-66 victory over Siena on Friday night.

THE MANHATTAN JASPERS
The Jaspers (16-13, 10-7 MAAC) wrapped up at least the No. 4 seed in the MAAC Tournament with a 50-40 win at Canisius on Friday night, and Manhattan clinches the No. 3 seed with a victory this afternoon.  Manhattan has won two straight and four of its last five.  Senior forward Lindsey Loutsenhizer paces the Jaspers with 12.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.  She also averages a team-best 2.4 assists per contest and ranks fifth in the MAAC in steals (2.1 spg).  Senior guard/forward Schyanne Halfkenny tallies 10.8 points per game, and her 11.9 points per contest in MAAC play are a team-high.  Sophomore guard Monica Roeder contributes 9.7 points per outing, and she drains 1.9 three-pointers per contest.  Senior forward Nadia Peters, the Jaspers' all-time career leader in blocks, averages 1.1 blocks per game to rank fifth in the MAAC.  She's also third in the MAAC in steals (2.1 spg) and pulls down 4.9 rebounds per contest.

THE NIAGARA PURPLE EAGLES
Niagara (11-18, 8-9 MAAC) enters the regular season finale knowing that it will be no worse than the No. 5 seed in the MAAC Tournament with a victory.  The Purple Eagles snapped a two-game losing streak with an 87-66 home win over Siena on Friday night.  Sophomore guard Kayla Stroman leads the Purple Eagles in scoring, averaging 10.7 points per game.  Stroman ranks second in the MAAC in steals (2.3 spg) and fourth in the league in assists (3.8 apg).  Sophomore center Lauren Gatto notches 9.8 points to go along with a team-leading 5.6 rebounds per contest.  Gatto also paces the Purple Eagles with 21 blocks.  Freshman guard Meghan McGuinness is the most accurate three-point shooter in the MAAC.  She's shooting .448 from downtown and drains 1.6 treys per outing.  Senior guard Ali Morris contributes 5.9 points per game while also ranking second on the team in rebounding (3.8 rpg), assists (1.7 apg) and steals (1.4 spg).

SERIES HISTORY
Niagara's 61-55 victory at Draddy Gymnasium on Feb. 10 snapped Manhattan's two-game winning streak in the series.  The Jaspers have won six of their last eight contests against the Purple Eagles, including three straight at the Gallagher Center.  Manhattan notched a 59-53 victory at Niagara last season.  Overall, this is the 47th all-time meeting between the schools, and the Jaspers hold a 24-22 edge.

LAST TIME OUT
The Jaspers used a solid defensive effort to knock off Canisius, 50-40, at the Koessler Athletic Center on Friday night.  With the win, Manhattan locked up at least the No. 4 seed for next weekend's MAAC Tournament.  The Jaspers forced 25 turnovers and held the Griffs, the best three-point shooting team in the MAAC, to 15 percent (3-of-20) from beyond the arc in the game.  After leading 24-13 at halftime, Manhattan scored nine quick points to open up a 20-point advantage, 33-13, early in the second half.  Canisius chipped away at the lead, getting as close as eight points, 46-38, but the Jaspers went 4-for-4 at the line down the stretch to seal the 50-40 win.  Schyanne Halfkenny led Manhattan with 15 points, while Alyssa Herrington added 10 points and Toni-Ann Lawrence grabbed eight rebounds.

TOURNAMENT SCENARIOS
Manhattan has clinched at least the No. 4 seed for next weekend's MAAC Tournament, and the Jaspers secure the No. 3 seed with a win this afternoon.  The Jaspers can still earn the No. 3 seed even if they lose today if Marist wins at Loyola.  If Niagara and Loyola win, Manhattan will be the No. 4 seed.  The Jaspers' opponent is also yet to be determined.  Manhattan will face either Niagara, Siena or Iona in the MAAC quarterfinals.  Siena visits Canisius this afternoon, while Iona hosts Saint Peter's.