Box Score
Box Score
RIVERDALE, NY – The Manhattan College women's basketball team has played its share of close games this season. And Friday night's affair with Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) rival Siena was no different. In a contest that featured nine ties and 13 lead changes, the Jaspers (5-7, 1-2 MAAC) rallied from a 10-point deficit early in the fourth quarter to post a 68-66 victory over the Saints (2-10, 1-2 MAAC) at Draddy Gymnasium.
After a three-point play by Kollys Scarbrough gave Siena a 56-46 advantage with 9:42 remaning, the Jaspers went on a 15-0 run to take a five-point lead of their own, 61-56. A Gabby Cajou (Stony Point, NY) trey started the rally, and a jumper by Amani Tatum (Cambria Heights, NY) tied it at 56-56 with 5:23 left. Cajou then went 1-for-2 at the free throw line to put Manhattan in front before putting in a layup to increase the cushion to three points, 59-56.
A Taylor Williams (Windsor, CT) layup made it a five-point game, 61-56, but Siena scored five of the next seven points to trim the margin to two, 63-61, at the 36-second mark. After Tatum sank a layup to put the Jaspers up four, 67-63, with seven seconds left, the Saints' Karolina Severova drained a three from the corner to pull Siena within one, 67-66. The Saints immediately fouled Maeve Parahus (Congers, NY), who sank one foul shot to make it 68-66 with three seconds remaining. The Jaspers still had fouls to give, though, which allowed them to prevent Siena from getting off a final shot and secure their first MAAC win of the season.
“I was really impressed with our team,” Head Coach Heather Vulin said. “I think we got some really balanced scoring tonight. Everybody was a threat, and I think that was the biggest factor at the end of the game.”
Neither side held an advantage of more than 10 points the entire night. The Jaspers built a 12-8 cushion midway through the first quarter, but Siena ended the period on a 10-3 spurt to take an 18-15 lead. After the Saints increased the margin to 29-19 at the 5:40 mark of the second quarter, a Nyasha Irizarry (Brooklyn, NY) trey sparked an 11-0 Manhattan spurt that put the Jaspers ahead 30-29 with 1:48 left before halftime. Manhattan took a 35-32 lead into the locker room.
With the score tied 39-39 barely four minutes into the third quarter, Siena went on a 6-2 spurt to a 45-41 advantage. A Tatum trey made it a one-point game, 45-44, but the Saints ended the frame on an 8-2 run to take a 53-46 lead into the final period. Siena then increased the margin to 10 points, 56-46, when Scarbrough was fouled on a layup and made the free throw on the first possession of the fourth quarter.
Tatum collected 20 points to go along with six rebounds and five assists. Kayla Grimme (Altoona, PA), meanwhile, recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards. Parahus added 12 points off the bench, and Irizarry contributed seven points and four rebounds. As a team, Manhattan shot 53.3 percent (24-of-45) from the field, 43.8 percent (7-of-16) from three-point land, and 68.4 percent (13-of-19) at the charity stripe.
Scarbrough tallied a game-high 24 points for the Saints. She also grabbed six rebounds, as Siena outrebounded Manhattan 36-31. Meghan Donohue registered 12 points, while Denisha Petty-Evans finished with nine points and six boards. Deja Rawls handed out six assists for the Saints, who shot 38.1 percent (24-of-63) as a team. Siena went 6-for-24 (33.3 percent) from long range and 12-for-18 (66.7 percent) at the free throw line.
Manhattan continues its four-game homestand on Monday with a 2 p.m. matchup against Canisius (2-10, 1-2 MAAC). The Jaspers split the season series with the Griffs in 2015-16, with each squad winning at home. Canisius suffered a 55-52 loss at Iona on Friday.
NOTES: The Jaspers have won consecutive matchups against Siena for the first time since sweeping the Saints in the 2007-08 season…Manhattan hadn't won back-to-back home games against Siena since the 2004-05 and 2005-06 campaigns…The Saints lead the all-time series 41-22…Manhattan's 68 points were a season high…The Jaspers won despite being outrebounded for the first time this season…Manhattan shot better than 50 percent from the field for the first time since posting a .516 field goal percentage in an 80-62 win over Niagara on Dec. 4, 2015…With a three-pointer at the 4:43 mark of the second quarter, Irizarry became the 11th player in program history with 100 career treys…Tatum tallied 20 points for the second time in three games and the third time this season…Grimme's double-double was her second of season and the 13th of her career…Manhattan went 15-17 overall in 2016.
