Box Score NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y.- The Jaspers continued their stretch of road MAAC conference play with a late fourth-quarter victory against cross-town rival Iona College, 71-69. The Jaspers are undefeated against the Gaels this season.
The Green and White were trailing with under a minute to play when senior Sydney Watkins hit a deep three from the corner to put the Jaspers ahead by one. The Gaels proved they would not go out without a fight and fired back with a three of their own. With the score all tied up at 69 with seven seconds left, graduate student Sini Mäkelä found junior Brazil Harvey-Carr under the basket. Harvey-Carr went up hard and hit a game-winning short jumper.
The Jaspers opened the game strong with an impressive showing from junior captain Dee Dee Davis. Davis scored the first six points for the Jaspers. By the end of the first quarter, Manhattan would trail Iona 18-11.
In the second, Manhattan would chip away at Iona's lead slowly. Thanks to a deep three from junior Harvey-Carr, the Jaspers managed to go ahead 28-27 with just under five to play in the half. In the first half, the Green and White grabbed 17 rebounds, two blocks, and made six steals on the defensive end. On top of that, the Jaspers created ten turnovers that added twelve points. Manhattan ended the half trailing by eight, 38-30.
In the third quarter, the Jaspers managed to hold the Gaels to only 13 points, their lowest game output. A back and forth final quarter had the Jaspers close the lead to 54-52 with seven minutes to play. Thanks to a steal and finish from Dee Dee Davis, Manhattan managed to tie it up at 57 with six minutes left to play.
The Jaspers finished the game by outrebounding the Gaels, 39-32—turning those rebounds into nine second-chance points. The Jaspers forced 20 turnovers and converted them into 26 points. Manhattan added three total blocks and ten steals. The Green and White shared the wealth in scoring, with eight different players scoring.
Bronx native Davis put on a show scoring a game-high 25 points. In addition, the junior captain added six rebounds, a pair of assists, and two steals.
Senior forward Courtney Warley hit the boards hard for a game-high 15 rebounds and secured her eighth double-double of the year. She finished the game with 11 points. Harvey Carr not only hit the game-winner but also helped the Jaspers with 12 points, four assists, and five rebounds. Watkins added an impressive 15 points.
Iona was led by guard Olivia Vezaldenos, who finished with a team-high 23 points. After this loss, the Gaels have an overall record of 4-10, 2-7 in conference play. Manhattan moves to 11-8 overall and 6-4 in MAAC play.
The Jaspers will return to action on Saturday, January 29, in Riverdale, taking on the Monmouth Hawks at 2 p.m.
