Box Score
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. ? Kelly Regan (Williamsville, N.Y.) and Alyssa Herrington (Cambridge, N.Y.) combined for 39 points, but the Manhattan College women's basketball team (1-4) couldn't overcome a poor start in an 81-61 loss to Hofstra (1-2) at the Mack Sports Complex on Tuesday night. Regan had 21 points for the Lady Jaspers, while Herrington tallied a career-high 18 points and added four steals.
Hofstra scored the first five points of the game and never looked back. The Pride's lead reached double figures when a jumper by Joelle Connelly made it 18-7 at the 11:39 mark and the margin never dipped below 10 after that. Manhattan's deficit hit 25 on a three-pointer by Nicole Capurso that made the score 37-12 with 4:13 left in the half, but Regan sank a trey, then nailed a jumper to trim the margin to 20, 37-17, at halftime. Manhattan's 17 first-half points were a season-low, as the Lady Jaspers shot just 20 percent (6-of-30) from the field in the opening 20 minutes.
The Pride opened the second half on an 11-4 spurt to run their lead to 48-21 before back-to-back treys by Herrington and Regan pulled Manhattan back within 21 with 14:40 remaining in the game. After Hofstra increased the lead to a game-high 28 points, 73-45 with 5:41 left, the Lady Jaspers responded with a 15-3 rally and trimmed their deficit to 16 on a Michelle Pacheco (Bronx, N.Y.) three at the 1:04 mark. Manhattan played Hofstra even in the second half, but the Pride shot 64.5 percent (20-of-31) from the field in the final frame to secure an 81-61 triumph.
Regan tallied her game-high 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting, including 2-for-3 from behind the arc. She entered the game having made just one three-pointer in her entire collegiate career. Herrington sank three treys as part of her 18-point effort and also distributed two assists. Pacheco contributed 13 points, all in the second half, and a team-high four assists. Nadia Peters (Bronx, N.Y.) tied her career-high with six rebounds and Alicia Marculitis (Worcester, Mass.) recorded two blocks. The Lady Jaspers shot 29 percent (20-of-69) from the field, including 28 percent (7-of-25) from three-point land, and 60.9 percent (14-of-23) at the charity stripe.
Connelly finished three assists shy of a triple-double for the Pride, collecting 12 rebounds and seven assists to go along with 15 points. Jess Fuller tallied a team-high 19 points on 9-for-10 shooting, while Capurso added 17 points and four assists. The Pride outrebounded the Lady Jaspers 49-32 and outscored Manhattan 42-20 in the paint. Hofstra shot a stellar 55.9 percent (33-of-59) from the field and 50 percent (6-of-12) from three-point range. The Pride shot 64.3 percent (9-of-14) at the line. As a team, Hofstra distributed 27 assists on 33 field goals.
The Lady Jaspers are home for their next four contests, starting with a 4 p.m. matchup against Vermont (2-1) on Friday. A live webcast of the game will be available at www.gojaspers.com as a part of the JasperVision package. Ed Cohen and Brian Mahoney will have the call.
NOTES: This was the first meeting between the schools in 20 years...Hofstra leads the all-time series 6-2...Herrington's previous career-high was eight points against Massachusetts on Nov. 16...Regan was the first Manhattan player to score 20 points in a game since Gabrielle Cottrell scored 21 against Saint Peter's in last season's MAAC Tournament (March 8, 2008)...The Lady Jaspers committed a season-low 13 turnovers...Manhattan doesn't play another road game until visiting Stony Brook on Dec. 15...The Mack Sports Complex was the site of the third debate between President-elect Barck Obama and Sen. John McCain in late September.
