Box Score
Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. – After dropping its final nine contests of 2014, the Manhattan College women's basketball team was looking for a fresh start on Friday night in its first game of the New Year. Unfortunately, though, the Jaspers were unable to halt their skid, as Manhattan (1-11, 0-3 MAAC) resumed its Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) schedule with a 56-45 loss to Canisius (5-7, 3-0 MAAC) at Draddy Gymnasium.
In a tight first half, Canisius took an early 5-0 lead before consecutive layups by Kylla Champagne (Paterson, N.J.) and Blake Underhill (Edgewater, N.J.) made it a one-point game, 5-4. The Griffs led 12-9 when Maeve Parahus (Congers, N.Y.) hit the first of back-to-back three-pointers to pull Manhattan even at 12-12 with 7:36 left in the half. Parahus drained another trey on the Jaspers' next possession, putting Manhattan in front 15-12. However, Canisius went on a 10-2 run over the final 6:00 of the period to build a 22-17 halftime cushion.
The Griffs extended their lead to nine points at 28-19 early in the second half, but Manhattan responded with an 11-2 rally, knotting the score at 30-30 on a Taylor Williams (Windsor, Conn.) jumper at the 10:29 mark. Canisius immediately countered with a three-pointer by Kayla Hoohuli, though, as Hoohuli scored her team's next eight points to put the Griffs up six, 38-32, with 7:46 left.
Parahus sank another trey to pull the Jaspers within three, 38-35, with 7:29 remaining, but Margaret Halfdanardottir nailed a three on the other end to start a 12-5 Canisius run that extended the Griffs' advantage to 10 points, 50-40, with 1:18 to go. After a three-point play by Shayna Ericksen (Long Valley, N.J.) cut Manhattan's deficit to seven points, 52-45, the Griffs went 4-for-4 at the line over the final 38 seconds to wrap up a 56-45 victory and send the Jaspers to their school-record 10th straight defeat.
With 12 points, Parahus was the only Jasper in double figures. She also handed out three assists. Ericksen finished with nine points and five rebounds, while Williams added seven points. Ashley Stec (Cazenovia, N.Y.) grabbed a team-high seven boards, and Nyasha Irizarry (Brooklyn, N.Y.) distributed three assists. The Jaspers shot just 27.8 percent (15-of-54) from the field, 37.5 percent (6-of-16) from three-point range, and 90 percent (9-of-10) at the free throw line.
Hoohuli notched a game-high 16 points to go along with six rebounds for Canisius. Jasmine Mungo, meanwhile, had a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards. She also collected five steals. Crystal Porter added seven points, six rebounds and three assists for the Griffs, who shot 40 percent (20-of-50) as a team. Canisius went 6-for-20 (30 percent) from downtown and 10-for-14 (71.4 percent) at the charity stripe. The Griffs outrebounded the Jaspers 39-33.
On Sunday, the Jaspers continue their eight-game homestand with a 2 p.m. matchup against Rider (3-10, 0-3 MAAC). Manhattan split the season series with the Broncs in 2013-14, with the road team winning each time.
NOTES: Canisius, which beat the Jaspers 55-44 in Buffalo on Dec. 5, swept the season series for the first time since 2008-09…This is the earliest date on which Manhattan has finished the season series with a MAAC opponent…The Griffs, who snapped a five-game losing streak in Riverdale, lead the all-time series, 31-25…Canisius didn't visit Draddy Gymnasium during the 2014 calendar year; last season's matchup was on Dec. 29…The Jaspers used a different starting five for the eighth straight game and the 10th time this season…Manhattan's previous record-long losing streak was nine straight from Dec. 10, 2006-Jan. 16, 2007…The Jaspers are 0-3 in the MAAC for the first time since the 1996-97 season, when they lost their first six conference tilts…The St. Francis of Assisi 6th grade CYO team, which includes Maeve's younger sister Emma Parahus, played a halftime game, and had an autograph session with the Jaspers postgame.
