Box Score
Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. – The Manhattan College women's basketball team might be sad to see 2013 come to an end. The Jaspers (3-8, 2-0 MAAC) concluded the calendar year by hosting new Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) member Monmouth on Tuesday afternoon and came away with their second victory in as many conference games, notching a 65-59 triumph over the Hawks (1-12, 0-2 MAAC) at Draddy Gymnasium.
The Jaspers quickly jumped out to an 8-3 lead before Monmouth rallied to go in front 18-15 with 8:51 left in the first half. However, a Katie Reese (Boonton Township, N.J.) three-pointer on the other end tied the game and started a 15-1 Manhattan run that put the Jaspers up 30-19 at the 4:06 mark. After Monmouth pulled within six at 31-25, Manhattan scored the final seven points of the half to take a 38-25 advantage into the locker room.
“We played really good defense and took care of the ball well in the first half,” Head Coach John Olenowski said. “It was a good start, and that was a big key in the game tonight.”
Maeve Parahus (Congers, N.Y.) started the second half with a layup to give the Jaspers their biggest lead of the game at 40-25. However, the Hawks slowly chipped away, pulling within seven at 45-38 with 9:36 remaining. After a Nicole Anderson (Hamden, Conn.) free throw brought Manhattan's cushion back to 11 points at 56-45, Monmouth went on an 11-4 run to make it a four-point game, 60-56, at the 2:15 mark.
Monmouth had a chance to cut the margin to two with 1:32 left, but Jasmine Walker missed a pair of free throws and Anderson corralled the rebound. Shayna Ericksen (Long Valley, N.J.) capped that Manhattan possession with a rebound and putback to increase the lead to six, 62-56. After Mia Hopkins went 1-for-2 at the foul line for Monmouth, Monica Roeder (Marlton, N.J.) drained a pair for Manhattan to make it a seven-point game with less than a minute remaining. She added another free throw with 26 seconds to go to put the Jaspers up 65-57. Walker hit a jumper, Monmouth's first field goal since her three-pointer, as time expired to make the final score 65-59 in favor of Manhattan.
With the win, Manhattan improved to 2-0 in the MAAC for the second time in three years. The Jaspers have also won back-to-back games for the first time this season.
Ericksen was the only Jasper to reach double-figures in the scoring column, tying a career-high with 24 points. She also had team-highs with seven rebounds and five steals. Nicole Isaacs (Fair Haven, N.J.) finished with nine points, five assists and three steals, while Roeder and Reese tallied eight points apiece. Allison Skrec (Roselle, N.J.) registered seven points to go along with five assists and three steals.
Manhattan collected 17 steals as a team, giving the Jaspers a total of 35 takeaways in their last two games. The Jaspers also notched 16 assists on 21 field goals and shot a combined 43.8 percent (21-of-48) from the field. Manhattan went 6-for-22 (27.3 percent) from long range and 17-for-24 (70.8 percent) at the charity stripe.
“I really liked the intensity that we had on the defensive end,” Olenowski said. “Everything starts with defense. I was proud of our team to keep them under 60 tonight.”
Chevannah Paalvast finished one rebound shy of a double-double for Monmouth. She posted 21 points and nine rebounds, while also handing out five assists. Jasmine Walker added 10 points and three steals, and Shira Shecht contributed nine points. The Hawks outrebounded the Jaspers 34-25 and shot 48.9 percent (22-of-45) from the field. Monmouth shot 28.6 percent (5-of-14) from downtown and 47.8 percent (11-of-23) at the free throw line.
The Jaspers hit the road for the only time in a six-game span on Friday night, when they visit Marist (8-4, 2-0 MAAC) at 7 p.m. The eight-time defending conference champion Red Foxes have won 72 of their last 74 games against MAAC opponents, with both losses coming to Manhattan.
NOTES: It was the first-ever meeting between the schools as conference rivals…The Jaspers lead the all-time series 9-6…Manhattan last won consecutive games on March 3-7, 2013, defeating Niagara and Loyola…The Jaspers played a game decided by fewer than 10 points for the first time this season…Manhattan scored 25 points off 24 Monmouth turnovers…The Jaspers registered 16 assists compared to just 15 turnovers and had an assist-turnover ratio of 1:1 or better for the fifth time this season…Ericksen also had 24 points at VCU on Dec. 18…She's averaging 15.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.3 steals while shooting 64.7 percent from the field over the past four games…Roeder's brother, Mike, played football at Monmouth from 2008-10…Manhattan posted an 8-23 overall record during the 2013 calendar year.
