Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. - There are a number of top-notch three-point shooters on the Manhattan College women's basketball roster. And when they're all on, the Lady Jaspers are awfully tough to beat. That was the case on Friday night, as Manhattan (4-2) tied its season-high with 12 three-pointers in a 68-51 victory over New Hampshire (1-5) at Draddy Gymnasium that increased the Lady Jaspers' winning streak to three straight.
"We had great balance," Head Coach John Olenowski said. "We had balanced scoring and a lot of people stepping up on the defensive end. It was a really good team effort."
After a jumper by Jill McDonald gave the Wildcats an early 6-4 lead, three-pointers by Monica Roeder (Marlton, N.J.) and Maggie Blair (Briarcliff, N.Y.) ignited a 19-6 Manhattan run that put the Lady Jaspers up 23-12 midway through the first half. However, New Hampshire responded with an 8-0 rally in a span of just over two minutes to cut its deficit to three, 23-20, with 7:44 remaining in the half. After the sides traded baskets, the Lady Jaspers scored the final five points of the stanza to take an eight-point, 30-22, advantage into the locker room.
New Hampshire pulled within five early in the second half before a Schyanne Halfkenny (Hyde Park, Mass.) trey ignited a 16-2 Manhattan run that extended the Lady Jaspers' advantage to 19 points, 48-29, with 13:11 remaining. The lead reached 21 when Lindsey Loutsenhizer (North Huntingdon, Pa.) connected from long distance to make it 56-35 with 9:05 left, but the Wildcats responded with an 8-2 run of their own to get back within 15, 58-43, at the 5:01 mark.
However, another three-pointer, this one by Abby Wentworth (Portland, Maine), sparked another Manhattan rally that put the game out of reach. The Lady Jaspers outscored the Wildcats 10-1 over a span of 2:48 to push their advantage to a game-high 24 points, 68-44, with 2:13 remaining. New Hampshire ended the game on a 7-0 run to make the final margin 17 points, 68-51.
"I'm really pleased with the way we played in the second half," Olenowski said. "I thought our defense picked up really well and forced some turnovers. We valued the ball well in the second half and made some shots."
Wentworth finished with a game-high 17 points to go along with five rebounds, four assists and four steals, while Nadia Peters (Bronx, N.Y.) just missed a double-double with 12 points and eight boards. She added three assists, three steals and two blocks. Loutsenhizer came off the bench and poured in 12 points in 19 minutes of action. Halfkenny tallied eight points and handed out four assists, and Blair had seven points and three assists. The Lady Jaspers shot 41.5 percent (27-of-65) from the field, including 41.4 percent (12-of-29) from three-point land. After attempting 31 free throws two nights ago against NJIT, Manhattan went to the line just three times on Friday, going 2-for-3 (66.7 percent).
Cari Reed led New Hampshire with 13 points. Denise Beliveau added 12 points and eight boards, as the Wildcats outrebounded the Lady Jaspers 34-33. McDonald contributed seven points, five rebounds and two blocks, while Kelsey Hogan had five points and a team-high four assists. As a team, New Hampshire shot 38.6 percent (17-of-44) from the field, 35.3 percent (6-of-17) from downtown, and 78.6 percent (11-of-14) at the charity stripe.
Friday's contest was the finale of a four-game homestand for the Lady Jaspers. Manhattan returns to action on Monday, when it visits Maryland Eastern Shore (1-2) at 6 p.m.
NOTES: The Lady Jaspers took a 3-2 lead in the all-time series with the Wildcats...Friday night marked the first time the teams met in Riverdale since Nov. 27, 2001...The Lady Jaspers' defense held its opponent below 60 points for the fifth time in six games this season...Manhattan also drained 12 three-pointers in the season-opening 63-34 win over St. Francis (NY) on Nov. 12...Six different Lady Jaspers hit at least one three-point shot...As a team, Manhattan had 18 assists and just 13 turnovers...New Hampshire was whistled for a mere seven fouls in the game...The Lady Jaspers improved to 4-0 this season when Blair is in the starting lineup...Manhattan has won three straight for the first time since Feb. 5-13, 2010, and moved two games above .500 for the first time in Olenowski's tenure.
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