Riverdale, N.Y. (November 17) ? The Manhattan Women's Basketball team shot 83% from the free throw line as they topped Stony Brook University. Senior Aubrie Dellinger set a career high in points, scoring 27. She also set career highs in three point field goals made with five and field goals made with nine.
Manhattan and Stony Brook were facing each other for the first time in seven years and both teams went full force at each other. To start the game, senior Gabrielle Cottrell scored the first six points for Manhattan as she made two field goals and two free throws. The Lady Jaspers defense was what kept them in front for almost the entire game as they had nine first half steals and out rebounded the Sea wolves, 20-8. The Lady J's committed their first team foul just outside nine minutes and only had five team fouls for the first half. The team seemed to be working well together as they were moving the ball and taking smart shots from the floor. Manhattan shot 51% from the field in the first half, but Stony Brook was not going quietly as they shot 58% for the half. The Lady Jaspers went into the locker room with a 12 point lead, and looking to take the momentum from their 5-0 run at the end of the first half, into the second half.
The Lady J's knew Stony Brook was not going that easily and they would have to keep up their defense and teamwork in order to close this game out. But the Sea wolves were not giving up that easily as they cut the lead to 54-46 with a little over 10 minutes to play. Stony Brook then went on a 9-0 run in the next three minutes and took the lead on Manhattan 57-56. The Lady J's gave it right back to Stony Brook as they went on a 7-3 run to go out in front 67-60. The teams were trading bucket for buckets as neither school backed down from each other. With under a minute to play, Manhattan was clinging to a four point lead and looking to hold off the Sea wolves. Two free throws by Stony Brook's Morgan Patrick pulled the game within two points, but that would prove to be the closet they could come. As in the start of the game, Cottrell scored the last six points, all on free throws, to keep Manhattan in front.
Cottrell was 8-8 from the charity stripe, contributing 19 points and seven rebounds for the Lady Jaspers. Senior Caitlin Flood netted 15 points and just missed a double-double grabbing nine boards on the game.
Dellinger had the hot hand of the game as she dropped a game high 26 points off of 9-16 shooting. She hit a total of five shots from behind the arc and went a perfect 3-3 from the free throw line. She also set her career high in field goals made with nine and three point field goals made with five. Dellinger tops her old career high in points (19), set in December 2006. She is averaging 21.5 points per game over the last two games.
