Jaspers Clinch MAAC Tourney Bye With Win At Iona

New Rochelle, NY - Manhattan women's basketball defeated Iona 59-47 Monday night to secure a bye in the upcoming MAAC tournament. With the win, the Jaspers are also guaranteed their highest tournament seed since the 2011-12 season, when Manhattan earned a third-place seed.  

Manhattan is now 14-14 on the season and 11-8 in conference play, marking the most overall wins and the most MAAC wins in a season for Head Coach Heather Vulin. Iona drops to 8-10 in league play and 9-18 overall. 

Highlights:

• Reigning MAAC Rookie of the Week Emily LaPointe (Staten Island, NY / Staten Island Academy) finished with a team-high 13 points, scoring all of her offense in the second half after being plagued by foul trouble in the first. She went 4-8 from the floor and 4-5 from the free throw line, helping the Jaspers widen the difference between them and the Gaels after being up just one at halftime. 
• Courtney Warley (West Chester, PA / Bishop Shanahan) earned her sixth-straight double-figure scoring game, contributing 12 points to Manhattan's offense. She added seven rebounds, including six defensive, to move into fourth place on the Jaspers' single-season defensive rebounding list (178). Warley also earned two assists and two blocks. 
• Pamela Miceus (Haverstraw, NY / North Rockland) led Manhattan on the glass with 10 rebounds, just one off her career- and season-highs. She tied her career-high of four blocks, as well. 
• Iona jumped out to an eight-point lead in the first quarter, as Manhattan shot just 16.7 percent from the floor and picked up five early fouls, including two each on LaPointe and Julie Høier (Aabyhoej, Denmark / Marselisborg Gymnasium). The Jaspers stayed alive at the free throw line, going 4-6 from the stripe despite hitting just two field goals in the quarter. Miceus also came up with two of her blocks in the first to keep the Gaels in check.
• Manhattan scored seven points off Iona turnovers in the second quarter, earning a 14-7 scoring advantage in the period to take a 23-22 lead into the locker room at half. Miceus again proved huge in the second as she pulled down five of her 10 rebounds, including four on the defensive boards. 
• LaPointe returned to form in the second half as the Jaspers shot more than 42 percent in each quarter. She also pulled down all seven of her rebounds in the last 20 minutes of play.
• Manhattan forced eight Iona turnovers in the second half, while committing just four on the other end. 
• The Jaspers also scored 20 of their 26 points in the paint in the second half.
• Manhattan out-rebounded Iona 43-31, making the Jaspers 12-2 when outrebounding their opponent this season.
• Warley and Gabby Cajou (Stony Point, NY / North Rockland) both surpassed 700 career points during the game. Warley's 12 brings her to 705 career points, while Cajou's six gives her 704.
• With two assists in the game, Cajou's career total is now 292, tying her for 11th place all-time. She needs just seven more to reach the program's top 10.
• Previously tied with Fairfield and Quinnipiac for third place in the MAAC standings, Manhattan now sits alone in third with just a game to play, while Fairfield and Quinnipiac, both at 10-8 in the conference, each have two games to go. All three teams will play Thursday night.

Up Next:
Manhattan will host Monmouth in the Jaspers' final game of the regular season on March 5 at 7:00 pm in Draddy.