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Fairfield, CT - Manhattan College (0-2) senior center
Kayla Grimme (Altoona, PA / Altoona Area) scored her 1,000th career point Wednesday, November 15 in a 65-61 loss to Sacred Heart (1-1) at the William H. Pitt Center in Fairfield, CT. In addition to hitting the milestone, Grimme put on a stellar double-double performance, netting 32 points (just two off of her career single-game high) and pulling down 13 rebounds (also just two off her career high).
With just four seconds left in the first half, freshman guard Sini Makela (Helsinki, Finland / Makelanrinne Sports High) passed to Grimme for an open three on the right side of the key. The shot dropped right before the buzzer, giving Grimme 19 first-half points and 1,001 for her 99-game collegiate career. The three broke a 31-31 tie, and the Jaspers went into the locker room up by three at the half.
The momentum shifted in the third quarter, as Sacred Heart outscored the Jaspers 17-10. At 3:17 in the third, Sacred Heart's Candice Leatherwood converted an old-fashioned three-point play to grow the Pioneers' lead to six, the largest lead for either team. However, Sacred Heart would score just one more point in the quarter. A three by senior guard
Amani Tatum (Cambria Heights, NY / James Madison) with 33 seconds left in the third brought the Jaspers back within three.
Manhattan took the lead back with a layup by Grimme at 8:24 in the fourth. Over the next minute, the teams would trade leads, until Manhattan center
Mikki Guiton (Schwenksville, PA / Perkiomen Valley) scored a field goal to stretch the Jasper lead to three. Senior guard
Nyasha Irizarry (Brooklyn, NY / Archbishop Molloy) sank a three at  6:24, making the score 57-51. The Jaspers would hold that six-point lead for the next two minutes.
Then Leatherwood took over. The redshirt-sophomore's five points in just over a minute brought the Pioneers within one-point of the Jaspers with under three minutes left to play. At the two-minute mark, Tatum sank a layup to bring the score to 61-58, but the Jaspers would not score again in the game. Leatherwood hit four free throws down the stretch, while Katherine Haines added a layup off an offensive rebound to allow the Pioneers to steal the win from Manhattan.
Quick Hits
- Manhattan changed up its starting five for this game, substituting sophomore guard Gabby Cajou for freshman guard Lynette Taitt (Irvington, NJ / Bishop Loughlin) and senior guard Taylor Williams (Windsor, CT / Capital Preparatory Magnet) for Irizarry.
- Sacred Heart's Leatherwood, a redshirt-sophomore guard, scored 18 of her team-high 23 points in the second half.
- Manhattan went 3-8 from the foul line, while Sacred Heart hit 15 of 21 free throws.
- The game saw 20 lead changes and eight ties.
Up Next:
The Jaspers take on St. Francis Brooklyn on Saturday, November 18 at Draddy Gymnasium. This will be the first home game for Manhattan College this season.
