Riverdale, NY - Manhattan women's basketball will welcome the Saint Peter's Peacocks on Sunday, February 24 at 2:00 p.m. in Draddy Gymnasium.
Prior to tip, the Jaspers will honor graduate transfer Candela Abejon (Gijon, Spain) and managers Gabriel Gamarra and Sally Santiago during the team's annual Senior Day ceremony.
Game Notes:
Last Outing
The Jaspers (9-17, 7-8 MAAC) won their second Iona match-up of the season February 22, grinding out a 54-52 victory over the Gaels at the Hynes Center. Down one with 22 seconds to go, sophomore guard
Lynette Taitt (Irvington, NJ / Bishop Loughlin) sank a jumper in the key to put the Jaspers on top 51-50. On the next play, Manhattan forced a huge five-second call in the Gaels' half court to regain possession. Taitt was fouled on the inbound play and sent to the line, where she hit both to go up 53-50. Iona's Juana Camilion cut the lead to one with a layup on the other end, but the Gaels were forced to foul Hoier on the subsequent inbound in an attempt to regain the ball. Hoier went 1-2, giving the Jaspers a two-point cushion. Camilion missed a jumper to tie, with time expiring as the rebound was batted around.
Top Performers
Freshman
Kania Pollock (Queens, NY / The Mary Louis Academy) had a team-high 12 points for Manhattan at Iona, including four in the third quarter to help the Jaspers overcome a two-point halftime deficit. She went 5-13 from the floor and 2-3 from the foul line. Sophomore center
Courtney Warley (West Chester, PA / Bishop Shanahan) earned her fourth double-double of the year, contributing 10 points and 11 boards. She also set a career-high in steals with seven, including five in the first half. Taitt added 10 points to the Jaspers' offense. She also earned a game-high five assists.
MAAC Standings
The Jaspers are currently tied with Canisius for seventh place in the MAAC standings with three games to play, including a March 2 match-up with the Golden Griffs to close out the regular season. Five teams currently have seven or eight losses, while undefeated Quinnipiac has clinched the MAAC regular season title. Marist and Rider will duke it out for second place.
Way to Go Warley
Warley is averaging a league-high 9.6 boards per game in MAAC play, as well as earning MAAC-highs in steals per game (2.9) and blocks per game (2.3). She's also averaging 8.1 points per game against MAAC opponents. Warley ranks 48th in all of NCAA Division I for blocked shots this year (46) and 47th in total steals (61).
Late Taitt
Not only did Taitt help lift the Jaspers over Iona late in the game Friday, she did the same thing for Manhattan in its win against Rider on February 17, hitting a layup with 1:15 to go and giving the Jaspers a 56-55 lead. Manhattan has come to rely on Taitt's composure in late-game situations, as well as her offense. Taitt has scored in double-figures in eight of the Jaspers' last nine games.
About the Peacocks
Saint Peter's (6-20, 1-14 MAAC) holds the MAAC's second-best turnover margin at +1.4, while ranking fifth in the league in steals per MAAC game (8.5). Though struggling offensively, the team forces 18.1 turnovers per game in MAAC play. Zoe Pero leads the team in scoring, rebounds and blocks, totaling 13.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. Briyanah Richardson averages 13.1 points per game, adding a team-high 3.3 assists.
Previous Meeting
Manhattan held Saint Peter's to eight points in the fourth quarter to come away with a convincing 62-44 win over the Peacocks on February 9 at the Yanitelli Center. Warley scored a career-high 20 points against the Peacocks, adding 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. Julie Hoier (Aabyhoej, Denmark / Marselisborg Gymnasium) also pulled down 11 boards for the Jaspers, marking a career-high for her. Manhattan's 49 rebounds for the game is the team's best performance on the boards so far this season.
All-Time Series
Saint Peter's leads the series 52-34.
