Riverdale, NY - Manhattan women's basketball will face Drexel and Wright State this weekend as the Jaspers host the 2018 Manhattan Classic in Draddy Gymnasium.
Manhattan will take on the Dragons Friday, December 7 at 7:00 p.m., and the Raiders on Sunday, December 9 at 2:00 p.m. Drexel and Wright State will face each other on Saturday, December 8 at 3:30 p.m. Tickets cost $10 apiece and are valid for all three games.
Game Notes:
Last Outing
Manhattan (2-5) enters this weekend coming off a 60-49 win over Lafayette at home. The Jaspers out-rebounded the Leopards, who averaged 46.7 boards per game and were ranked 15th in Division I for rebounding offense coming into the game, by seven, holding Lafayette to just 31 rebounds in the game. Sophomore
Lizahya Morgan (East Hartford, CT / Capital Preparatory Magnet) scored a career-high 14 points in the contest, going 4-7 from the floor and 2-2 from three-point range. She added three assists and three steals, both for game-highs (tied).
Candela Abejon (Gijon, Spain / USC) and
Kania Pollock(Queens, NY / The Mary Louis Academy) also scored in double-figures for Manhattan. Abejon put in 11, including three baskets from beyond the arc, while freshman Pollock nabbed 10 points, her best scoring performance so far in her collegiate career.
Meet the Dragons and Raiders
Drexel (5-1) is on a five-game win streak, returning to action Friday after an eight-day break. The Dragons have led wire-to-wire in their last three contests, while junior Bailey Greenberg has led Drexel in scoring in each of the first six games. The Dragons boast the top scoring defense in the nation, allowing just 43.0 points per game so far this year. Drexel has not allowed more than 56 points in any game, and has allowed no more than 44 points in any game since the season-opening 56-52 loss to Quinnipiac.
Wright State (5-3) has won four straight, including a 76-60 win over Marist on November 25. Mackenzie Taylor leads the Raiders with 12.3 points per game, while Symone Simmons paces them on the boards with 7.9 per contest. The team ranks 25th in the country for offensive rebounds per game.
Previous Meetings
The Jaspers have not faced Drexel in 25 years, when the two teams met in Riverdale on December 4, 1993. Manhattan won that contest, 90-72.
The Jaspers defeated Wright State 75-73 in the only meeting between the two teams, a Women's Basketball Invitational match-up held in Dayton, OH on March 20, 2011. Manhattan's Lindsey Loutsenhizer and Monica Roeder combined for 45 points to lead the Jaspers. Loutsenhizer tied a career-high with 24 points, and she added 13 rebounds to complete a double-double, while Roeder also matched her career-high with 21 points. The victory pushed Manhattan into the WBI semifinals, where the team fell to UAB 62-43.
Series History
Manhattan leads both series, going 2-0 lifetime against Drexel and 1-0 vs. Wright State.
