Box Score
Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. – The Manhattan College women's basketball team jumped out to a seven-point lead on defending Patriot League champion Army on Saturday afternoon. However, the Jaspers (1-2) were unable to maintain their early momentum, as the Black Knights (2-1) pulled away for an 81-49 victory at Draddy Gymnasium.
Manhattan scored the first six points of the game and led 9-2 on a three-pointer by Alex Cohen (Nashua, N.H.) barely four minutes in. Army trimmed its deficit to three at 9-6 before the Jaspers brought the margin back to seven points on a layup by Jacqui Thompson (Southampton, Pa.) that made it 17-10 midway through the opening period.
However, Army went on a 14-0 run over the next seven minutes to open up a 24-17 lead. A Taylor Williams (Windsor, Conn.) jumper at the 2:27 mark finally stopped Manhattan's scoring drought, but the Black Knights scored six of the final eight points of the period to take a 30-21 advantage into the locker room.
After Nyasha Irizarry (Brooklyn, N.Y.) hit a couple of three-pointers to make it 36-27 early in second half, Army's Aimee Oertner converted a traditional three-point play to bring the margin back to double-digits. A Thompson floater at the 15:40 mark brought the Jaspers within 11 at 42-31, but it would get no closer, as the Black Knights went on a 23-6 run over the next eight minutes to open up a 65-37 cushion. The margin reached a game-high 36 points at 74-39 with 3:36 to go, and Army ended up posting an 81-49 victory.
Irizarry was the only Jasper in double-figures, finishing with 13 points. Cohen and Williams added eight points apiece, while Cohen also grabbed a career-high five rebounds. Williams and Blake Underhill (Edgewater, N.J.), meanwhile, both distributed three assists. Ashley Stec (Cazenovia, N.Y.) and Thompson each contributed six points for Manhattan, which shot 32.8 percent (20-of-61) from the field. The Jaspers went 4-for-17 (23.5 percent) from three-point range and 5-for-8 (62.5 percent) at the free throw line.
Kelsey Minato had 24 points and seven rebounds to lead the Black Knights. Oertner collected 19 points and five boards to go along with four blocks and three assists, while Olivia Schretzman tallied seven points and six rebounds. Army outrebounded Manhattan 41-30 and held a 9-3 advantage in blocks. The Black Knights shot 56.4 percent (31-of-55) from the floor, 41.2 percent (7-of-17) from long range, and 57.1 percent (12-of-21) at the charity stripe.
The Jaspers won't return home until Dec. 17, playing their next five contests on the road. Manhattan begins the stretch by visiting La Salle (0-2) at 12 p.m. on Tuesday.
NOTES: Manhattan and Army met for the seventh consecutive year and the 16th time overall…The Black Knights have now won four straight against the Jaspers…The all-time series is tied 8-8…The Jaspers used their third starting lineup in as many games, with Stec making her first start of the season…Army is one of three squads that played in the 2014 NCAA Tournament on Manhattan's 2014-15 schedule…Irizarry has played exactly 35 minutes in each of the first three games…Cohen, who played 16 minutes, had never grabbed more than one rebound in a game before, and her previous career-high for minutes was eight at Holy Cross on Sunday…This was the Jaspers' only home contest in a seven-game stretch.
