Women's "Battle of the Bronx" Set for Saturday Night

Manhattan-Fordham Game Notes

TONIGHT'S GAME
Manhattan (5-3) heads across town for the 42nd annual "Battle of the Bronx" against Fordham (6-5) tonight at Rose Hill Gym.  The Lady Jaspers have had nine days off since their last outing, a 53-50 loss to Lafayette that snapped their four-game winning streak.  Fordham is coming off a 55-44 loss to Monmouth last Saturday that snapped the Rams' two-game winning streak.  The home team has won the last five "Battle of the Bronx" matchups since Manhattan's 64-60 win at Fordham in the 2004-05 season opener. 

THE LADY JASPERS
The Lady Jaspers (5-3) have had nine days off since seeing their four-game winning streak snapped with a 53-50 loss to Lafayette on Dec. 9.  The nine-day layoff was Manhattan's longest of the season.  Senior guard Abby Wentworth leads Manhattan with 13.5 points per game, which ranks fourth in the MAAC.  Wentworth also ranks second in the conference in both assists (4.5 apg) and steals (3.0 spg) while leading the MAAC with 36.5 minutes per game.  Junior forward Nadia Peters is Manhattan's top rebounder, averaging 6.3 boards per contest.  She also leads the Lady Jaspers wtih 1.6 blocks per game.  Freshman guard/forward Monica Roeder, the current MAAC Rookie of the Week, contributes 9.0 points per game.  As a team, the Lady Jaspers lead the MAAC with a free throw percentage of .735.  Manhattan visits Cornell on Tuesday night for its final non-conference road game.

THE RAMS
Fordham (6-5) is coming off a 55-44 loss to Monmouth last Saturday that snapped the Rams' two-game winning streak.  Junior guard Becky Peters paces the Rams in scoring, averaging 14.5 points per game.  She also leads Fordham with 2.5 steals per game and ranks second on the team with 4.7 rebounds per contest.  Senior forward Caitlin Shadbolt contributes 13.5 points and 4.5 boards per outing, while senior forward Tiffany Stokes averages 10.6 points and a team-leading 7.0 rebounds per game.  Senior guard Kristina Bell distributes 2.1 assists per game, and senior guard Kyara Weekes hands out 2.0 assists per contest.  Fordham was tabbed to finsh 13th in the Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll, but is already just two victories shy of matching last year's win total.  The Rams are 2-0 against MAAC opponents this season, having knocked off both Saint Peter's and Rider.  Fordham visits Iona on Wednesday.

SERIES HISTORY
Manhattan has faced Fordham more than any other non-conference opponent.  The squads have met at least once every season since the 1979-80 campaign.  Overall, this is the 42nd meeting, and Manhattan holds a 23-18 edge in the series.  The home team has won the last five matchups, including the Lady Jaspers' 63-47 triumph at Draddy Gymnasium last season.  Manhattan last won at Fordham on Nov. 19, 2004.

WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME
Lafayette's Lauren Jackson drained a three-pointer with four seconds left to give the Leopards a 53-50 win over Manhattan at Draddy Gymnasium on Dec. 9.  Both teams started off hot from the field before a Monica Roeder jumper ignited an 8-2 Manhattan run that gave the Lady Jaspers a 28-17 advantage.  Manhattan led 31-24 at halftime and extended its advantage to 16 points, 44-28, early in the second half.  However, Lafayette stormed back and tied the score at 50-50 on a Jackson trey before Jackson sank the game-winner.  Nadia Peters led the Lady Jaspers with 10 points and six rebounds, while Roeder added eight points.  Abby Wentworth tied a career-high with six assists and Maggie Blair notched a career-best four steals in the loss, which snapped Manhattan's four-game winning streak.