Riverdale, N.Y. (February 8, 2008) ? A last second attempt by the Lady Jaspers wouldn't fall as Loyola College upset Manhattan in Draddy Gymnasium tonight, 62-61. Senior Gabrielle Cottrell led all scorers with 16 points as three Lady J's had 13 or more points in the game.
At the start of the game, senior Caitlin Flood came out and scored the first five points for Manhattan as they took an early 5-2 lead inside the first minute and half of play. The game was kept close most of the way as the half saw six lead changes and six ties. The Lady J's would take the lead 24-21 with 6:04 left in the half off an Aubrie Dellinger three pointer, but Loyola would answer right back as Meredith Tolley hit a deep ball for the Greyhounds. Loyola would go up by as much as four, 31-27 in the last two minutes of the first half. A jumper by Flood with just seven seconds on the clock, cut that deficit to two as the Lady Jaspers went into the locker room down, 31-29.
Senior Joann Nwafili was 2-3 from the field as she and Flood led Manhattan with seven points at the break. The team caused 10 Greyhound turnovers as their defense was looking to put the pressure on.
Right out of the gate in the second half, Cottrell hit a layup and drew the foul in the first 12 seconds. After converting the three point play, Manhattan had an early 32-31 lead. Cottrell came down the floor on the next possession and hit a three for Manhattan as they took a 35-33 lead of her six consecutive points. The Lady Jaspers would build up a five point lead with 11:44 left in the game, 50-45. But Loyola would put together a 8-0 run over the next seven minutes, as Manhattan now trailed, 53-50 with just 5:31 to play. The Lady J's would be down as much as six points from this point and knew they had to start making a run to pull within striking distance.
They did just that as they went on a 9-0 run in the next three minutes to take a 59-58 lead with just over a minute in regulation. A jumper by Loyola's Candice Walker put the Greyhounds ahead 60-59 with 45 seconds left. Manhattan came down and Flood came through with a clutch jump shot to put the Lady Jaspers ahead, 61-60. After a timeout by each team, Tynisha Davis hit a lay-up for the Greyhounds which just four seconds remaining, but Manhattan would have the last possession of the game. A long inbound pass to Nwafili left her limited time to take the last second shot. Nwafili drove the ball and saw fading lay-up hit the backboard and roll of the front of the rim as time expired, leaving Loyola to escape with the victory.
Cottrell was 3-4 from behind the arc for her 16 points as fellow senior Joann Nwafili finished the game 4-7 for 13 points. Nwafili dished out four assists and went a perfect 5-5 from the charity stripe in the game. Manhattan shot 47.8% from the field and 46.2% from three point range in the loss.
The Lady Jaspers will return to action on Sunday, February 10 as they will travel to take on Fairfield University in a conference match. Tip-off is schedule for 1:00 p.m.
