ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – The No. 8 seed Manhattan Jaspers women's basketball team (16-14, 9-11 MAAC) put its stellar defense on full display on the conference stage by taking down No. 9 Canisius Golden Griffins (10-21, 9-11 MAAC) by a score of 52-42 inside Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall on Tuesday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Manhattan opened its Atlantic City stint with defense at the forefront. Following a miss by Tegan Young down low, the Jaspers helped her with an offensive board, followed by Ines Gimenez Monserrat posting the first two to open the tournament.
- Countering Canisius's trey on the next possession, Tegan Young took advantage of the Golden Griffins' turnover and tallied three more to return in front.
- In the game's first three minutes, Leyla Ozturk swatted away three attempts.
- Off an eight-to-nothing run, the Jaspers fought back down the stretch of the first quarter, with Kristina Juric netting another two to stop the Manhattan bleeding.
- At the buzzer, Nitzan Amar moved the Jaspers closer with a turnaround jumper with time expiring to narrow the Canisius lead to just three.
- After 20 minutes, Leyla Ozturk set a new career-high with six blocks and counting, just one shy of the MAAC Tournament Record.
- The Jaspers found its rhythm in the second quarter, with Amar tallying six points in the first four minutes of the stanza, to go back in front by as much as three.
- Manhattan ended the quarter on an eight-to-nothing run, thanks mainly to Ozturk and Kristina Juric in the waning seconds of the half to extend the Jasper lead to double digits.
- Coming out of the locker room, Amar found Petra Juric underneath the basket for another double-digit lead.
- The Golden Griffins narrowed Manhattan's lead to as little as four before Gimenez Monserrat posted another booming three-pointer for the Green and White.
- The younger Juric extended the Jaspers' lead to a game-high 13 halfway through the stanza with back-to-back buckets to eclipse the 50-point mark.
STATS AND NOTES
- Graduate forward Leyla Ozturk set a new MAAC Tournament Single Game Record with eight blocks on the afternoon. Additionally, for Ozturk, the total number is a new career-high, where she initially sat at five.
- The initial record of seven blocks in a single game was last completed by Stephanie Geehan of the Fairfield Stags on March 6, 2009, against the Siena Saints. A record that stood for 16 years.
- Off the bench, sophomore forward Kristina Juric shined in the limited minutes on the floor, with 10 points on a perfect five-of-five shooing, grabbing seven rebounds, and logging two steals in 18 minutes on the floor.
- Senior guard Ines Gimenez Monserrat added nine points on four-of-nine from the floor. She grabbed six rebounds and assisted on four Jasper baskets.
- Sophomore guard Tegan Young logged seven points on two-of-five shooting from distance and added one block.
- The Jaspers won the paint battle 30-20 and scored 13 points off turnovers, compared to 11 for Canisius.
QUOTES FROM THE JASPERS:
Head Coach Heather Vulin: "We have five wonderful seniors. One is unfortunately out for the year. We've been in a number of close games this year. So, we have been prepared for the moment. This team is really excited to have the opportunity to compete for the title and get to tomorrow."
Vulin on Assists: "That's been our motto the entire year. We're rarely selfish. We rarely have a leading scorer either. I believe everybody in our top eight has led our scoring at some point throughout the year. Really impressed with the girls, and very thankful we get to play tomorrow."
Leyla Ozturk on her record-breaking block performance: "Honestly, I just wanted to play hard for the team. It's my senior season. Here at the MAAC Tournament, everyone plays hard. It doesn't matter if you beat them by 30 two weeks ago. We needed to be ready.
Ozturk continued: "I feel like we share the ball really well. We make amazing passes, especially Nitzan (Amar) and Hana (Muhl) and also Ines (Gimenez Monserrat), that's just amazing.
NEXT UP:
Manhattan continues its run in the 2025 Hercules Tire MAAC Championships on Wednesday, March 12. The No. 8 seeded Jaspers will take on the top seed in the tournament, the Stags of Fairfield University, at noon from Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall. The contest can be streamed on ESPN+ with a paid subscription.