Box Score
Albany, NY - The Manhattan Jaspers used a 12-0 run in the second half to put away 10th-seeded Iona in the first round of the 2018 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships on Thursday, March 1. With the 55-39 win over the Gaels, the Jaspers advance to face #2 Marist in the quarterfinals on Friday at the Times Union Center.
Manhattan's offense was led by senior
Kayla Grimme (Altoona, PA / Altoona Area), who scored a game-high 16 points, including 10 in the first quarter to help keep the Jaspers ahead of Iona 12-10 at the end of the period. She would add four in the second, a period where Manhattan struggled at the hoop, shooting 14.3 percent from the floor and putting in just six points. Manhattan faced a 19-18 deficit going into the locker room at the half.
Iona's Jaden Eggleston started the Gaels' second half with an old-fashioned three-point play to put Iona up by four. But Manhattan charged forward and never looked back. Freshman
Lynette Taitt (Irvington, NJ / Bishop Loughlin) hit a three to cut the Gaels' lead to one at the 8:45 mark in the third. Senior guard
Amani Tatum (Cambria Heights, NY / James Madison) followed with two threes of her own (her firsts of the game) to put the Jaspers up by five with six minutes left to go in the quarter. Taitt and Tatum would combine for 15 in the quarter, with Taitt scoring all seven of her points in the period. Manhattan headed into the fourth up 37-29.
The Jaspers put an exclamation point in the game in the final 10 minutes, holding the Gaels to just two points in the paint and zero second-chance points. The Gaels were held scoreless until 4:39 left to go, when Treyanna Clay was sent to the line on a Taitt foul and went 1-2. Manhattan went up by as much as 21 in the period, ultimately walking away with a 16-point victory.
Grimme led the Jaspers in scoring for the 15th time this season, and recorded her 23rd double-figure scoring game this season. She added eight rebounds and four blocks. Tatum recorded double-figure scoring for the 23rd time this season, as well, finishing with 14 total and 999 putting her at her career at Manhattan. Tatum's four assists were tied for a game-high with sophomore
Gabby Cajou (Stony Point, NY / North Rockland). Cajou added a game-high five steals.
Up Next:
The Jaspers will play Marist at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. The game will be
streamed live on ESPN3. Manhattan went 0-1 against the Red Foxes this season, losing to Marist 65-40 on January 6 in Poughkeepsie, NY. The Jaspers last faced the Red Foxes in postseason in the second round of the 2016 MAAC Championships, losing 70-58.
