Box Score
2012-13 Manhattan Women's Basketball Yearbook
LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. - Trailing by three points with eight seconds left, the Manhattan College women's basketball team had the ball and a chance to send the game into overtime on Thursday night. However, the Jaspers (5-15, 2-7 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) were unable to get off a potential game-tying three point attempt, allowing Rider (10-10, 5-4 MAAC) to hold on for a 60-57 victory at Alumni Gymnasium.
After MyNeshia McKenzie hit a pair of free throws to give Rider that 60-57 advantage with 37 seconds to go, the Jaspers missed a three-pointer and a layup on the other end. McKenzie grabbed the rebound on the second shot and was immediately fouled. With a chance to make it a two-possession game and her team in the double bonus, McKenzie was off the mark on both attempts, and Ashley Stec (Cazenovia, N.Y.) rebounded the second to give Manhattan a chance. Needing a trey to tie, Jaspers Head Coach John Olenowski used his final timeout with eight seconds remaining to draw up a play and get his three-point shooters into the game. The Rider defense held strong, though, and the Jaspers couldn't get a good look before time expired, sealing the win for the Broncs.
The frantic finish was the final swing in a back-and-forth contest that featured nine ties and 14 lead changes. The largest lead by either side was a six-point Rider edge early in the second half.
Manhattan's largest lead came five minutes into the game, when Monica Roeder (Marlton, N.J.) drained a three-pointer to put the Jaspers up 12-7. Rider responded with five straight points to tie it at 12-12, and the Broncs eventually built a 21-18 advantage. However, Roeder countered with a pair of jumpers to put Manhattan back in front, 22-21, with 9:30 remaining before halftime. Rider scored the next four points to take a three-point lead before Manhattan again tied the score on another Roeder trey at the 7:59 mark.
Rider rallied for the next five points to open up a 30-25 cushion that the Jaspers trimmed to one with 43 seconds left in the first half. Emily Fazzini sank a trey on the Broncs' next possession to bring the lead back to four points, but Nicole Isaacs (Fair Haven, N.J.) sank an off-balance three on an inbounds play just before time expired to cut the margin to one, 33-32, at the break. The Jaspers then got the ball to begin the second half, and Allison Skrec (Roselle, N.J.) drove for a layup to regain the lead.
Skrec scored Manhattan's first six points of the second half to give her team a 38-36 lead. However, Rider's Manon Pellet drained a three-pointer at the 16:39 mark to ignite an 8-0 run that gave the Broncs their largest lead of the night, a 44-38 advantage with 15:07 remaining. The Jaspers came storming back, though. A layup by Toni-Ann Lawrence (Elmont, N.Y.) sparked a 15-4 Manhattan run over the next 7:37 that gave the Jaspers their biggest advantage, a 53-48 cushion with 5:58 to go.
Rider cut its deficit to two on a Mikal Johnson three-pointer, then took a 56-55 lead on Carleigh Brown's layup and free throw at the 2:36 mark. Johnson added a pair of free throws to make it 58-55 before a Roeder jumper with 1:06 left again brought Manhattan within one. Following a Manhattan timeout, Rider missed a layup, but McKenzie grabbed the rebound and was fouled. Her two foul shots gave the Broncs a 60-57 lead with 37 seconds remaining, setting up the final sequence.
Roeder and Skrec combined for 40 of Manhattan's 57 points. Roeder finished with 23 points and seven rebounds, while Skrec had a career-high 17 points. She added four assists. Lawrence had seven boards and three blocks, and Stec pulled down a team-best eight rebounds to go along with a career-high five steals. The Jaspers shot 40 percent (22-of-55) from the field, 36.4 percent (4-of-11) from downtown, and 75 percent (9-of-12) at the charity stripe.
McKenzie had a double-double (11 points, 16 rebounds) to lead the Broncs. She also handed out three assists. Fazzini tallied a team-high 12 points, while Johnson contributed 11 points off the bench. Brown added six points, eight rebounds and four steals. Rider shot 30 percent (18-of-60) as a team and outrebounded Manhattan 43-39. The Broncs went 8-for-22 (36.4 percent) from long range and 16-for-27 (59.3 percent) at the free throw line.
The Jaspers begin a three-game homestand on Sunday, when they take on Canisius (8-11, 5-3 MAAC) at 12 p.m. The contest is the opener of a Manhattan basketball doubleheader. Following the women's game, the Manhattan men take on Saint Peter's at 3 p.m.
NOTES: Rider swept the season series for the first time since the 2003-04 campaign...Manhattan leads the all-time series 26-10...The Jaspers used their 13th different starting lineup of the season, with Briana Schnare (Holden, Mass.) making her first collegiate start and Shayna Ericksen (Hackettstown, N.J.) coming off the bench for the first time in her career...It was Roeder's second 20-point game of the season and the seventh of her career...Skrec, who had 15 points against Saint Peter's on Sunday, reached a career-high in the scoring column for the second straight game...Manhattan's 39 rebounds were a season-high...This was the Jaspers' only road contest in a six-game span...With the 7 p.m. tip-off, Manhattan ended a string of seven consecutive day games.
