Box Score
2012-13 Manhattan Women's Basketball Yearbook
BUFFALO, N.Y. - The Manhattan College women's basketball team began its longest road trip of the season with a visit to Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) rival Canisius on Friday night. The Jaspers (6-20, 3-12 MAAC) rallied from a 12-point halftime deficit to within five in the second half before the Griffs (10-16, 7-8 MAAC) came away with a 63-47 victory at the Koessler Athletic Center.
The game was tight early on, as there were four lead changes in the opening 11:30. After Toni-Ann Lawrence (Elmont, N.Y.) hit a layup to give Manhattan a 10-9 advantage at the 8:30 mark, Ashley Durham countered with a trey on the other end to put the Griffs back in front. Kayla Hoohuli sank a three-pointer on the next Canisius possession to increase the Griffs' lead to five, 15-10, but Lawrence followed with a jumper to make it a 15-12 game with 6:29 remaining before halftime. However, a Durham jumper nine seconds later sparked a 13-4 Canisius rally to end the stanza, and the Griffs held a 28-16 advantage at the break.
In the second half, Manhattan came out of the gate on fire. The Jaspers outscored the Griffs 14-7 over the first six minutes of the period, pulling within five when Ashley Stec's (Cazenovia, N.Y.) trey made it 35-30 with 14:05 left. Canisius responded with six straight points, though, bringing the margin back to 11 at 41-30. The Jaspers got back within seven, 48-41, on a pair of Lawrence free throws at the 5:01 mark before a Jamie Ruttle three-pointer sparked a 16-6 Canisius run to end the game, as the Griffs pulled away for a 63-47 victory.
Monica Roeder (Marlton, N.J.) finished one rebound shy of her first career double-double, pouring in 16 points and adding a career-best nine boards. Lawrence tallied 13 points, seven rebounds and a career-high five assists, while Allison Skrec (Roselle, N.J.) had 10 points and six assists. Stec contributed seven points and five rebounds while also recording four steals. The Jaspers shot 27.6 percent (16-of-58) from the field, 20 percent (4-of-20) from three-point land, and 78.6 percent (11-of-14) at the charity stripe.
Jen Lennox tallied 15 points to lead the Griffs. Ashley Wilkes added 14 points, six rebounds and three blocks, while Durham notched seven points and a team-high eight boards to go along with five assists. Brooke Angelos also handed out five assists for Canisius. As a team, the Griffs shot 39.3 percent (22-of-56) from the field, including 33.3 percent (9-of-27) from downtown, and 83.3 percent (10-of-12) at the line.
Manhattan continues its Western New York trip with its final road game of the season against Niagara (13-13, 8-7 MAAC) at 2 p.m. on Sunday. It will be the first meeting of the season between the Jaspers and Purple Eagles, who face each other twice in the final three games.
NOTES: The loss, Manhattan's first to Canisius since a 69-65 double-overtime defeat on Jan. 11, 2010, snapped the Jaspers' six-game winning streak against the Griffs...Canisius leads the all-time series 29-23...Manhattan used a different starting lineup for the third straight game and the 15th time this season...Roeder's previous career-high was eight rebounds, which she's done four times, including the game at Loyola on Feb. 15...Lawrence previously had four assists four different times, most recently at Minnesota on March 23, 2012...Both teams grabbed 39 rebounds, marking the second time this season the Jaspers were tied in rebounds...The Manhattan men's team, which takes on the University at Buffalo on Saturday, was in attendance...Manhattan is now guaranteed to play a MAAC Tournament first-round game on March 7.
