Riverdale, NY - Gabby Cajou (Stony Point, NY / North Rockland) may have had a case of deja vu Saturday night. For the second year in a row, the sophomore guard hit a 3-point basket with less than 20 seconds left in the game to seal a 3-point Jasper victory over St. Francis Brooklyn.
Sparked by senior center Kayla Grimme (Altoona, PA / Altoona Area), who posted a 12-point, 6-rebound fourth quarter on her way to her second consecutive double-double of the season, Manhattan College (1-2) overcame a 10-point third-quarter deficit to defeat St. Francis (1-2) 57-54 in a nonconference matchup at Draddy Gymnasium.
Down 37-30 at the end of the third quarter, the Jaspers went on a 8-2 run to open the fourth. A 3-pointer by Grimme with 6:38 left to go in the game tied the score at 41-41. Almost a minute later, Grimme hit one of two foul shots to give Manhattan the lead for the first time since early in the second quarter.
The Jaspers fell back to within 4 of the Terriers midway through the quarter after a jumper by St. Francis' Dana DiLorenzo put the Terriers up 48-44. Senior guard Amani Tatum (Cambria Heights, NY / James Madison) responded with a 3-pointer at the 3:22 mark. Manhattan and St. Francis would trade baskets over the next minute and a half, with St. Francis' Jade Johnson hitting a 3-pointer to tie the game at 52-52.
Then the Jaspers took over. Cajou's trey with 17 seconds left was followed by a free throw from Tatum with just 9 seconds to play. A layup by St. Francis' Maria Palarino put the Terriers back within 2 with 2 seconds in the game, but there was too little time to get the possession back after Terrier Mia Ehling fouled center Mikki Guiton (Schwenksville, PA / Perkiomen) to put her on the line. Guiton hit 1-2 free throws, cementing the win for Manhattan.
Quick Hits
- Grimme finished the game with 18 points and 13 rebounds. She is now ranked 19th on Manhattan College's all-time career scoring list with 1,032 points.
- Tatum contributed 11 points, 8 assists, and 3 steals.
- The Jaspers continue their longest-active winning streak against any opponent at 17 wins, and they are now 17-1 lifetime against the Terriers.
Manhattan travels to Berkeley, CA to take on Cal on Friday, November 24 in a four-team tournament that also includes Missouri and Coppin State. The Jaspers will play the Bears at 5 p.m. Eastern time.