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RIVERDALE, NY – The Manhattan College women's basketball team battled back from eight points down at the start of the fourth quarter to take a 49-48 lead with 1:16 remaining on Saturday afternoon. However, Stony Brook (2-3) made seven consecutive free throws down the stretch to come away with a 55-50 victory over the Jaspers (3-2) at Draddy Gymnasium.
Stony Brook headed into the fourth with a 39-31 lead, but a Maeve Parahus (Congers, NY) trey and a Taylor Williams (Windsor, CT) layup brought Manhattan within three, 39-36, with 7:57 to go. After the Seawolves pushed the margin back to seven at 48-41, KellyAnne O'Reilly (Montville, NJ) sank a three-pointer to ignite an 8-0 run that put the Jaspers in front. Amani Tatum (Cambria Heights, NY) had the last five points of the rally, and her free throw at the 1:16 mark gave Manhattan the lead, 49-48. She scored eight of her team-high 11 points in the final period.
Aalyiah Worley sank two foul shots to put the Seawolves back in front with 48 seconds to go, the Jaspers missed a three on the other end and Stony Brook grabbed the rebound. With Manhattan forced to foul in order to stop the clock, Kori Bayne-Walker hit two free throws with 20 seconds left to increase Stony Brook's lead to three, 52-49. Bayne-Walker would add two more free throws with 13 seconds left, and Worley made it a five-point game, 55-50, with a free throw at the 11-second mark.
“I said in the huddle, 'Show me something in this fourth quarter that you haven't shown me yet,'” Head Coach Heather Vulin said. “And we did a great job. We cut it down to a one-possession game. At the end, Stony Brook made some nice plays, and I give them a lot of credit. But it was a really hard-fought battle. I was really impressed with the effort my team gave today. I feel like this was a step forward for us, even though it was a loss.”
Neither side held a lead of more than eight points all afternoon, and the score was tied 10-10 after the first quarter. The sides were even at 22-22 when O'Reilly drained a trey with 2:28 left before halftime to put Manhattan up three, 25-22. A free throw by Stony Brook's Elizabeth Manner with 30 seconds remaining in the period cut the Jaspers' advantage to 25-23 at the break.
After Stony Brook scored the first four points of the third quarter to regain the lead, 27-25, a pair of Kayla Grimme (Altoona, PA) free throws knotted things up once more. However, the Seawolves responded with an 8-0 run to open up a 35-27 advantage. Six Grimme free throws accounted for Manhattan's only scoring in the period, and Stony Brook took a 39-31 cushion into the fourth quarter.
In addition to leading the Jaspers with 11 points, Tatum recorded six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Grimme finished with 10 points, five rebounds and six blocks, while Williams contributed eight points. Manhattan shot 30 percent (15-of-50) from the field, 31.6 percent (6-of-19) from long range, and 70 percent (14-of-20) at the charity stripe.
For Stony Brook, Worley led the way with a game-high 13 points, and she added seven rebounds. Manner recorded a double-double with 11 points and 11 boards, while Davion Wingate tallied 10 points and six rebounds for the Seawolves. Christa Scognamiglio contributed nine points and six rebounds for the Seawolves. Bayne-Walker, meanwhile, distributed five assists to go along with eight points. As a team, Stony Brook shot 31.4 percent (16-of-51) from the floor, 23.5 percent (4-of-17) from downtown, and 79.2 percent (19-of-24) at the free throw line. The Seawolves also outrebounded the Jaspers 46-31.
On Tuesday, Manhattan (0-0 MAAC) begins Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play with a 7 p.m. matchup against Marist (1-6, 0-0 MAAC). The Red Foxes ended the Jaspers' 2015-16 season in the quarterfinals of the MAAC Tournament.
NOTES: This was Manhattan's first-ever “Junior Jasper Game,” and the team had a clinic and autograph session following the game…Prior to the contest, Grimme was recognized for setting the single-season program record with 69 blocks in 2015-16…With six blocks, one off her career-high, she now has 11 in Manhattan's last two games…The Jaspers held a 10-1 advantage in blocks and are outblocking their opponents 27-7 so far this season…The Jaspers and Seawolves met for the first time since Dec. 15, 2008, and this was the first meeting between the teams in Riverdale since Nov. 24, 2007…Manhattan leads the all-time series 3-1…The Jaspers led at halftime for the first time since the season opener against Holy Cross…Manhattan used a different starting lineup for the fourth straight game, with Williams reentering the starting five.
