Box Score
LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. ? The Manhattan College women's basketball team has been trying to find a way to win of late. On Sunday afternoon, the Lady Jaspers almost found one. However, Manhattan (6-17, 3-8 MAAC) came up just short, dropping a 58-53 decision to Siena (8-12, 7-4 MAAC) in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference matinee at UHY Court at the Alumni Recreation Center. The loss was Manhattan's fifth straight and seventh in the last eight games.
Siena led for most of the first half, but the Lady Jaspers stayed within striking distance. After Alicia Marculitis (Worcester, Mass.) hit a jumper pull Manhattan within one at 11-10, the Saints went on an 11-3 run build a 22-14 advantage with 8:11 remaining before halftime. The Lady Jaspers responded with a 7-0 run to make it a one-point game with 5:44 left in the half. Following a Siena timeout, the Saints countered with the next eight points to take a 30-21 lead. Annie McIntyre (Portland, Ore.) sank a three-pointer to end the Siena run and the Lady Jaspers trailed by six, 34-28, at halftime.
The Lady Jaspers pulled within two when Alyssa Herrington (Cambridge, N.Y.) drained a trey to make it 44-42 with 9:41 remaining, but Siena rallied for the next seven points to take a 51-42 advantage. Kelly Regan (Williamsville, N.Y.) hit a jumper to get Manhattan back on the scoreboard, but Siena's Allie Lindemann countered with a three-pointer to give the Saints a 10-point lead, 54-44, with 5:08 to go.
Manhattan held the Saints without a field goal the rest of the way and cut Siena's lead to one, 54-53, with 32 seconds remaining. With the Lady Jaspers forced to foul to stop the clock, Heather Stec hit a pair of free throws to bring Siena's lead back to three points with 25 seconds left. Manhattan missed a three-pointer on the other end and Lindemann grabbed the rebound. She was fouled immediately and sank both free throws to give the Saints a 58-53 victory.
Regan finished with a game-high 20 points and added six rebounds. Herrington was the only other Manhattan player in double figures with 10 points. Lindsey Loutsenhizer (North Huntingdon, Pa.) grabbed five rebounds. McIntyre had six points and four assists, as the Lady Jaspers distributed 14 assists on 19 made field goals. As a team, the Lady Jaspers shot 35.2 percent (19-of-54) from the field, 22.2 percent (4-of-18) from three-point land, and a season-high 91.7 percent (11-of-12) at the charity stripe.
Lindemann tallied a team-high 18 points for the Saints, while Stec added 12 points and seven rebounds. Serena Moore finished with seven points, and Sarah Fullmer posted six points and five rebounds off the bench. Merrick Volpe had a game-high six assists and two blocks to go along with three points and four rebounds. Siena shot 46.5 percent (20-of-43) from the field and outrebounded the Lady Jaspers 30-28. The Saints shot 33.3 percent (4-of-12) from downtown and 77.8 percent (14-of-18) at the line.
The Lady Jaspers are home for their next two games, starting with a showdown against Niagara (1-20, 0-10 MAAC) at 7 p.m. on Friday at Draddy Gymnasium. Manhattan posted an 84-73 victory over the Purple Eagles when the teams met on Jan. 16.
NOTES: This was the 46th all-time meeting between the schools...The Saints lead the all-time series 30-16 and swept the season series for the first time since 2003-04...This was Siena's first win over Manhattan in Albany since the 2005-06 season...The Lady Jaspers are now 2-4 on Super Bowl Sunday under Myndi Hill...Manhattan used its 10th different starting lineup this season, with freshman Laura Rivera (Elmont, N.Y.) making her first career start at point guard...Regan moved past former teammate Gabrielle Cottrell into 17th place on Manhattan's all-time career scoring list...Approximately 25 members of Herrington's family from nearby Cambridge, N.Y., were in attendance.