Columbia Visits Draddy On Tuesday Night

Manhattan-Columbia Game Notes

TONIGHT'S GAME
Manhattan (1-2) continues its four-game homestand tonight, as local rival Columbia (0-3) makes the short trip north to Riverdale.  The Lady Jaspers have dropped two straight since winning their season opener, including a heartbreaking 49-48 loss to Albany in their home opener on Friday night.  Columbia is coming off a 65-41 loss to No. 20/23 St. John's on Friday.  Following tonight's game, Manhattan has eight days off before returning to action against NJIT on Dec. 1. 

THE LADY JASPERS
The Lady Jaspers (1-2) continue their four-game homestand looking to snap a two-game skid.  Manhattan is coming off a 49-48 loss to Albany in its home opener on Friday night.  Senior guard Abby Wentworth leads the Lady Jaspers in five different statistical categories.  Wentworth averages 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.3 steals and 34.0 minutes per game.  Junior forward Lindsey Loutsenhizer pours in 9.7 points per game and is tied for the team lead in rebounding (5.0 rpg).  Loutsenhizer also hands out 2.7 assists per contest.  Junior guard/forward Schyanne Halfkenny adds 9.0 points per game.  Freshman guard/forward Monica Roeder, the MAAC Player of the Week on Nov. 15, contributes 7.7 points and 4.0 rebounds, while junior forward Nadia Peters also grabs 4.0 boards per contest.  The Lady Jaspers have eight days off, their third-longest break of the season, before hosting NJIT on Dec. 1.

THE LIONS
Columbia (0-3) has averaged just 50.3 points as a team over its first three games, losses to Long Island, Fairleigh Dickinson and No. 20/23 St. John's.  The Lions are led by senior center Lauren Dwyer, who paces the squad in rebounding (6.0 rpg) and is tied for the team lead in scoring (11.0 ppg).  Senior guard Kathleen Barry also averages 11.0 points per game.  Barry, an honorable mention All-Ivy pick in 2009-10, drains 2.0 three-pointers per outing and leads the Lions with 1.7 blocks per game.  Also averaging double figures in the scoring column is freshman guard Briana Orlich, who pours in 10.0 points per game.  Sophomore guard/forward Tyler Simpson contributes 7.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while leading Columbia in field goal percentage (.412) and steals (2.3 spg).  The Lions, who have seen their win total increase in each of Head Coach Paul Nixon's first five seasons, were picked fourth in the Ivy League Preseason Poll.

SERIES HISTORY
Last season's 69-66 Columbia win at Levien Gymnasium renewed a series that had been dormant since 2006.  Overall, the Lady Jaspers and Lions have met 13 times, with Manhattan holding an 8-5 edge in a series that began during the 1989-90 campaign.  The last time the sides played at Draddy Gymnasium was on Nov. 21, 2000, when the Lady Jaspers posted an 84-60 vicotry.

WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME
Trailing by one with the ball, Manhattan had the chance to post a dramatic come-from-behind victory in its home opener on Friday night.  However, Schyanne Halfkenny's last-second layup didn't fall and the Lady Jaspers suffered a 49-48 defeat against Albany at Draddy Gymnasium.  Manhattan led 24-16 at the half, but a 25-10 Albany run midway through the second half put the Great Danes in front 43-37 with 6:33 left.  Three free throws by Abby Wentworth sparked the Lady Jaspers' comeback effort, and Manhattan took a 48-47 lead on Wentworth's three-point play with 2:24 remaining before Albany scored on the other end to go back in front.  Wentworth led the Lady Jaspers with 17 points, while Toni-Ann Lawrence added a career-high 10 points off the bench.  Nadia Peters grabbed a team-high five rebounds.