Box Score
2012-13 Manhattan Women's Basketball Yearbook
JERSEY CITY, N.J. - The Manhattan College women's basketball team sank 12 three-pointers, one shy of the single-game program record, and shot a season-high 46.2 percent (12-of-26) from long range in its Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) opener on Thursday night. Monica Roeder (Marlton, N.J.) had six of those treys and finished with a season-high 26 points, as the Jaspers (4-8, 1-0 MAAC) earned a 73-66 victory over Saint Peter's (0-12, 0-1 MAAC) at the Yanitelli Center.
"We really earned this win tonight," Head Coach John Olenowski said. "We shot the ball well and played good defense. Both teams came out ready to play, and it was nice to come away with the road win."
Both teams were on fire offensively to start the game. Saint Peter's made four of its first five shots and the Jaspers drained their first four field goal attempts, as the contest was tied at 10-10 less than three minutes in. Manhattan took its first lead of the game when Ashley Stec's (Cazenovia, N.Y.) three-pointer broke a 15-15 tie, but the Peacocks immediately got a trey of their own from Aziza May to knot the score at 18-18.
Nicole Isaacs (Fair Haven, N.J.) gave the Jaspers the lead for good when she hit a three at the 7:49 mark to start a 12-0 run that turned a 29-29 game into a 41-29 Manhattan advantage. The Jaspers shot 54.8 percent (17-of-31) from the field and a scorching 64.3 percent (9-of-14) from long range in the first half, and they took a 43-35 lead into the locker room.
After Antonia Smith sank a three-pointer to pull Saint Peter's within 10 at 48-38 early in the second half, the Jaspers went on a 14-4 run over the next 10 minutes to open up their largest lead of the game, a 20-point, 62-42 cushion with 7:32 remaining. However, the Peacocks gradually chipped away, and a pair of Kristal Edwards free throws with 2:10 left cut the margin to seven, 65-58.
Edwards was whistled for a technical foul at the 1:37 mark, and Roeder sank both free throws to bring the lead back to nine. Toni-Ann Lawrence (Elmont, N.Y.) then converted a jumper on the resulting Manhattan possession, making the score 69-58 with 1:33 remaining. The Peacocks refused to go away, though, getting back-to-back three-pointers from Edwards and May to trim their deficit to four points, 70-66, with 20 seconds to go.
With Saint Peter's forced to foul to stop the clock, Allison Skrec (Roselle, N.J.) went to the line with 11 seconds left. She missed the front end of a one-and-one, but Lawrence grabbed the rebound and was immediately fouled. She went 1-for-2 on her free throw opportunities, then Saint Peter's missed a trey on the other end before Shayna Ericksen (Hackettstown, N.J.) hit a pair at the line to cap off the 73-66 victory.
"I knew Saint Peter's was capable of making a run like that, especially at their place, so I didn't really think the 20-point lead was comfortable," Olenowski said. "It got a little hectic at the end, but I'm glad we were able to hang on."
Roeder had four assists to go along with her 26 points, while Ericksen just missed a triple-double. She tallied 14 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high eight steals. Stec ended up one rebound shy of her first career double-double, finishing with 11 points and nine boards, and Lawrence posted nine points, seven rebounds and three assists. Skrec handed out a career-high 10 assists, as 20 of Manhattan's 27 baskets were assisted. The Jaspers shot 45.8 percent (27-of-59) from the field and 53.8 percent (7-of-13) at the charity stripe.
Edwards notched 17 points and seven assists for Saint Peter's, while Jesika Holmes had a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Kaydine Bent added 12 points and nine boards, and May finished with 14 points and six assists for the Peacocks. As a team, Saint Peter's shot 36.9 percent (24-of-65) from the field, 32.1 percent (9-of-28) from downtown, and 81.8 percent (9-of-11) at the free throw line.
The Jaspers return home for the only time in a five-game stretch on Sunday, when they host Rider (5-6, 0-0 MAAC) at 2 p.m. Manhattan swept the season series from the Broncs in 2011-12. Rider opens its MAAC schedule against Marist on Friday night.
NOTES: It was the 73rd all-time meeting between the squads, and Saint Peter's leads the series 50-23...The Jaspers knocked off the Peacocks for the seventh straight time, their longest winning streak in the history of the series...Manhattan opened conference play with a victory for the third time in Olenowski's four seasons at the helm... The Jaspers used a different starting lineup for the sixth straight game and the ninth time this season, with Stec making her first start since Nov. 20...Both teams grabbed 38 rebounds, marking the first time this season Manhattan had the same number of rebounds as its opponent...Skrec became the first Jasper to record 10 assists in a game since Amanda LoCascio had 10 at Fairfield on Feb. 2, 2007...Roeder's 26 points were the most by a Manhattan player this season, and the most by a Jasper since Schyanne Halfkenny tallied 25 at Holy Cross in the quarterfinals of the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI) on March 18, 2012...Ericksen notched her third double-double of the season.
