Lady Jaspers Conclude Homestand Against New Hampshire

Manhattan-New Hampshire Game Notes

TONIGHT'S GAME
The non-conference schedule reaches its halfway point tonight, as the Lady Jaspers (3-2) wrap up their four-game homestand against New Hampshire (1-4).  Manhattan has won two straight, including a 64-48 triumph over NJIT on Wednesday night.  New Hampshire hasn't played since Monday, when the Wildcats dropped an 87-46 decision at Syracuse.  Overall, New Hampshire has lost three straight since notching its only win of the season, 65-52 over Dartmouth on Nov. 16.

THE LADY JASPERS
The Lady Jaspers (3-2) enter tonight's game the winners of two straight, including a 64-48 victory over NJIT on Wednesday night.  Manhattan is looking to win three in a row for the first time since Feb. 5-13, 2010.  Senior guard Abby Wentworth leads the Lady Jaspers with 13.4 points, 4.2 assists and 2.8 steals per game.  Junior forward Lindsey Loutsenhizer adds 8.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest, while freshman guard Monica Roeder contributes 8.0 points per game.  Manhattan is 3-0 with sophomore guard Maggie Blair in the starting lineup, and Blair pours in 7.8 points per outing.  Junior forward Nadia Peters grabs a team-leading 6.4 rebounds and adds a team-high 1.4 blocks per contest.  Tonight's contest concludes Manhattan's four-game homestand.  On Monday night, the Lady Jaspers visit Maryland Eastern Shore for their only non-conference game outside the state of New York.

THE WILDCATS
New Hampshire (1-4) has lost three straight, including an 87-46 decision at Syracuse on Monday night.  The Wildcats' only win was a 65-52 triumph over Dartmouth on Nov. 16.  Junior forward Denise Beliveau, a Preseason First Team All-America East selection, leads the Wildcats in scoring, averaging 10.3 points per game.  She also ranks second on the team with 5.8 rebounds per contest.  Sophomore guard Cari Reed contributes 8.6 points per game, while freshman guard Kelsey Hogan adds 8.2 points and a team-leading 4.0 assists per outing.  Senior center Jill McDonald pulls down a team-best 6.6 rebounds per game to go along with 7.6 points per contest.  Tonight's game is the third stop on a season-long five-game road trip for New Hampshire.  The Wildcats, led by first-year Head Coach Maureen Magarity, finished 9-22 in 2009-10 and were picked ninth in the America East Preseason Poll.

SERIES HISTORY
The Lady Jaspers and Wildcats haven't met on the hardwood since Nov. 22, 2002, when New Hampshire posted a 47-43 victory in Durham.  The last time the squads met in Riverdale, Manhattan notched a 70-54 triumph on Nov. 27, 2001.  Overall, this is the fifth all-time meeting in a series that began during the Lady Jaspers' MAAC championship season of 1986-87.  The all-time series is tied 2-2.

WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME
Maggie Blair drained a trio of three-pointers in the first 2:30 and finished with a career-high 18 points, as the Lady Jaspers led wire-to-wire en route to a 64-48 victory over NJIT on Wednesday night at Draddy Gymnasium.  NJIT got within four midway through the first half before Manhattan responded with a 12-0 run to make it 24-8, and the Lady Jaspers held a 27-18 edge at the break.  Manhattan's lead reached 15 in the second half, but the Highlanders gradually chipped away, pulling within six, 54-48, with 1:21 left.  However, NJIT was forced to foul down the stretch and Manhattan drained 10 consecutive free throws to seal the 64-48 victory.  Blair led three Lady Jaspers in double-figures, as Abby Wentworth just missed a double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds and Nadia Peters added 10 points.