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Riverdale, NY - Fueled by a strong second half, Manhattan overcame an early double-digit deficit en route to posting a 69-55 comeback win over Saint Peter's at Draddy Gymnasium.
With their 15th-straight win over the Peacocks (5-6; 4-2 MAAC), the Jaspers (5-3; 5-1 MAAC) are off to their best league start since also opening up 5-1 in the 2007-08 season.
After dropping a 25-point decision a night ago, Saint Peter's came roaring out of the gates with a quick 13-2 lead, before senior
Lizahya Morgan (East Hartford, CT / Capital Preparatory Magnet) sparked the Jaspers with a pair of three pointers to trim the deficit to six after one period.
In the second quarter, the visitor's lead again reached nine at 24-15 with 6:51 to play until halftime before
Christina Katsamouri (Thessaloniki, Greece / Hellenic College of Thessaloniki) provided a jolt to the Green & White offense. The sophomore drained a corner three, before converting a three-point play and hitting another layup to bring the Jaspers to within one at 24-23 with less than five minutes until intermission.
The deficit would remain one at the break as junior
Dee Dee Davis (Bronx, NY / Truman) scored five of the final seven points of the period, capped by a floater with time winding down.
After halftime, the Peahens would extend their advantage back out to five at 43-38 at the 4:14 mark of the third, before Katsamouri again answered the bell for the Jaspers. The Greece native hit a layup, before senior
Courtney Warley (West Chester, PA / Bishop Shanahan) converted to quickly make it a one-point game. Katsamouri then put Manhattan with another layup, before graduate student
Pamela Miceus (Haverstraw, NY / North Rockland) followed suit with a layup of her town to cap a game-changing 8-0 run that turned a five-point deficit into Manhattan a 46-43 lead with just over a minute to play in the period.
With the lead now at one at the six-minute mark of the fourth period, sophomore
Emily LaPointe (Staten Island, NY / Staten Island Academy) took advantage of a Miceus offensive rebound to rattle home a three pointer to give the Jaspers a 57-53 lead with 5:28 remaining. LaPointe then found senior
Sini Mäkelä (Helsinki, Finland / Mäkelänrinne Sports High) on the break for an old-fashioned three-point play, before Katsamouri and Miceus hit back-to-back jumpers.
LaPointe then capped the game-cementing 12-0 spurt with a pair from the line that stretched Manhattan's insurmountable advantage out to 66-53 with 1:30 to play.
Katsamouri led the Jaspers with a career-high 14 points, on 6-of-8 shooting, over a personal-best 25 minutes of action, and was complemented by Miceus, who had nine points, nine rebounds, four assists and four blocks.
Warley scored 10 of her 12 points after halftime, to go along with nine rebounds with two steals, while LaPointe had 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists to round out the double-digit scorers for Manhattan.
Notes
*
Heather Vulin is now a perfect 11-0 against Saint Peter's
* Manhattan's reserves scored a season-high 26 points, on 10-of-18 shooting, and netted 45 on the weekend.
* The Jaspers' bench entered weekend play with just 47 points over the first six games.
* Manhattan won for the first time this season when trailing at the break.
* The Jaspers grabbed 17 offensive rebounds that led to a dominating 19-8 advantage in second-chance points.
* Manhattan scored 17 points off 19 Saint Peter's turnovers, one night after registering just nine points off 18 miscues.
* In the fourth period, the Jaspers shot 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from the field, while pressuring the Peahens into just 23.5 percent (4-of-17).
* The Green White shot 41.9 percent from the floor, while assisting on 20 of their 26 field goals.
* Miceus' career-high matching four blocks, give her 85 while moving her into seventh place in the all-time Manhattan annals.
* Taiah Thornton and Kendrea Williams each had 16 points to lead the way for Saint Peter's.
Coach Vulin On The Win
Up Next
* Manhattan will play at Marist on Saturday, January 9 at 5:00 pm.
