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.
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.