LEWISTON, NY– The Manhattan Jaspers women's basketball team (10-6, 4-3 MAAC) rolled against the Niagara Purple Eagles (1-14, 0-7) by a score of 79-54 inside the Gallagher Center on Saturday afternoon.
The victory for Manhattan extends the team's current winning streak to four, the second-longest streak of the 2024-25 campaign. The first came between November 7 at Central Connecticut and November 24 at UMBC, when the team was successful in five straight.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Jaspers, led by senior forward Petra Juric, logged six points of the teams' 10 to open the first five minutes.
- Graduate forward Ines Gimenez-Monserrat's defensive prowess was on full display with a pair of steals against Niagara, leading to a pair of buckets for Manhattan.
- Points in the paint surrendered continued to plague the Purple Eagles, as the elder Juric continued her dominance with another four points after the Niagara timeout.
- Junior guard Hana Muhl started a sequence that saw graduate forward Leyla Ozturk sink home her first bucket of the game. The basket for Manhattan extended their respective run to 11-2 to put the Jaspers in front by seven at the end of the first quarter.
- Reextending the Jasper lead to nine points was Nitzan Amar, who sank home a booming triple off an Ozturk miss in the second stanza.
- Niagara gained steam to narrow Manhattan's lead to just three with five points from Georgian Court transfer Safiatu Kolliegbo and extend the Purple Eagles' respective run to eight.
- The see-saw of momentum swung in favor of Niagara as it went on a 15-2 to close out the second quarter, with the lone basket, during the run, coming from Tegan Young with 20 seconds remaining on the timer.
- Manhattan opened the third quarter on an 11-4 run, which led to Juric logging her third double-double of the campaign.
- Junior guard Brianna Davis logged points nine and 10 in the waning seconds of the third quarter to give the Jaspers its largest lead of the game and put Manhattan on a 9-2 run.
- Manhattan continued pounding the paint and sinking baskets by outscoring the Purple Eagles 27-13 in the game's final ten minutes.
- The Jaspers finished the game on a 13-2 run in the final four and a half minutes to ensure its fourth consecutive victory.
STATS AND NOTES
- Graduate forward Leyla Ozturk registered a career-high 22 points on the afternoon. She was two rebounds shy of a double-double in 28 minutes on the floor.
- Senior forward Petra Juric logged her third double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 caroms in 30 minutes.
- Sophomore forward Kristina Juric added a career-high nine points on four-of-four shooting. The younger Juric also grabbed four rebounds in 15 minutes on the floor.
- The Jaspers turned the tables in the third stanza, outscoring the Purple Eagles 24-11, subsequently putting Manhattan in front of Niagara.
- In the fourth quarter, Manhattan outscored Niagara 27-13 and tacked on a stellar 73.3 field-goal percentage.
- Manhattan outrebounded Niagara 49-26 overall, cleaning up the defensive glass +21 (36-15).
- Manhattan logged 23 assists compared to Niagara's five, on 32 total made shots from the floor. The number of team assists is a team-high for the 2024-25 campaign. The previous high was 22, accomplished against Merrimack on Saturday, January 11, and vs. LIU on November 14. The Jaspers are now 3-0 when logging 20+ helpers in 40 minutes.
- The points-in-the-Paint category saw Manhattan log more than double down low, outscoring Niagara 50 to 26.
- Fastbreak points were in favor of Manhattan 24-11.
QUOTES FROM THE JASPERS
Head Coach Heather Vulin on halftime message: "We came here to prove that we are one of the top teams in the MAAC and keep our momentum going."
Vulin on Petra Juric's third double-double: "Petra was big for us with a double-double and great defense today. She has missed some games due to injury and wants to finish her senior year strong."
Vulin on Leyla Ozturk's career afternoon: "Leyla has been a pivotal player for us all season. It's a shame she is getting more attention now because of her scoring but she epitomizes she will do anything we need her to do to help this team win. She is very versatile and very unselfish. Nitzan (Amar) did an incredible job setting her up for shots today."
Vulin on message heading to Fairfield on Thursday: "The first thing we talked about after the game was what we needed to do to keep the momentum going. Staying locked in, improving our ball control, and ensuring our defense is disruptive. This team plays hard for each other, and I have so much respect for their love and commitment to each other."
NEXT UP:
Manhattan returns to the court on Thursday, January 23, when the Jaspers take on Preseason favorite Fairfield Stags inside Leo D. Mahoney Arena for a special 11 a.m. opening tip. The contest can be viewed on ESPN+ with a paid subscription.
