Manhattan Snaps Skid With 69-65 Triumph at Saint Peter?s

JERSEY CITY, NJ – Behind a 24-point, 11-rebound double-double from Kayla Grimme (Altoona, PA), the Manhattan College women's basketball team (6-13, 2-8 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) snapped its six-game losing streak with a 69-65 victory over Saint Peter's (3-16, 2-8 MAAC) at the Yanitelli Center on Sunday afternoon.  With 24 points, Grimme established a career-high in scoring for the second straight game.

Grimme led three Jaspers with double-figures in the scoring column.  Mikki Guiton (Schwenksville, PA) finished with 15 points, and Gabby Cajou (Stony Point, NY) registered 10 points to go along with three assists.  Julie Høier (Aabyhoej, Denmark) added nine points, six boards and three assists for the Jaspers, who outrebounded the Peacocks 30-26.  Manhattan shot 48.1 percent (26-of-54) from the floor, 29.4 percent (5-of-17) from three-point range, and 92.3 percent (12-of-13) at the free throw line.

“We had three players in double-digits today, which was a big help,” Head Coach Heather Vulin said.  “When you can score 69 points, it takes a lot of pressure off your defense.  I'm happy for the team.  It was a great win.”

Manhattan led 11-8 after the first quarter and extended that margin to 21-16 midway through the second period.  Saint Peter's, however, responded with 11 of the next 16 points to go up 27-26 with 1:29 left in the half.  A Cajou jumper put the Jaspers back in front with 30 seconds remaining, but Sammy Lochner drove for a layup on the ensuing Saint Peter's possession to give the Peacocks a 29-28 halftime advantage.

Saint Peter's extended its cushion to 37-31 at the 7:19 mark of the third quarter, Grimme sank a layup and a trey to cut the Jaspers' deficit to one, 37-36.  After the Peacocks brought the margin back to four points at 42-38, Manhattan rallied for six straight points to go up 44-42 with 44 seconds left in the quarter.  Brianna Tarabocchia put Saint Peter's back in front with a three-pointer at the 22-second mark before a Grimme layup just before time expired in the period gave Manhattan a 46-45 lead entering the final period.

Cajou started the fourth quarter with a layup, and Grimme then added a trey to run the margin to six points, 51-45, with 9:34 remaining.  It was 58-52 Jaspers midway through the period when Saint Peter's went on an 8-4 spurt to cut its deficit to two, 62-60.  A free throw by Guiton and a Cajou layup pushed the lead back to five points, 65-60, with 1:20 left, and, after a layup by the Peacocks' Talah Hughes, Manhattan went 4-for-4 at the free throw line over the final 33 seconds to open up a seven-point margin, 69-62.  Saint Peter's drained a three-pointer as the final buzzer sounded to make the final score 69-65, as the Jaspers saw their losing streak come to an end.

“It feels really nice to finally pull out a win,” Grimme said.  “We went out and thought, 'This is our game, we need to get after it.'  And I think we were able to come out in the second half and do that.”

Hughes had 22 points, six rebounds and three assists to pace the Peacocks.  Janelle Mullen recorded 16 points and four assists, while Samantha Meier contributed eight points and five rebounds.  Saint Peter's shot 47.1 percent (24-of-51) from the field, 53.8 percent (7-of-13) from downtown, and 62.5 percent (10-of-16) at the charity stripe.

The Jaspers will return to New Jersey on Thursday night for a 7 p.m. matchup with Rider (13-6, 7-3 MAAC).  The Broncs posted a 53-36 victory over Manhattan when the sides met at Draddy Gymnasium on Jan. 5.