Lafayette Visits Draddy Gymnasium On Thursday Night

Manhattan-Lafayette Game Notes

TONIGHT'S GAME
The Lady Jaspers (5-2) return to Draddy Gymnasium for the fourth time in five games for tonight's matchup with Lafayette (3-5).  Manhattan comes into the contest on a four-game winning streak after posting a 61-49 victory at Maryland Eastern Shore on Monday night.  The Leopards snapped a three-game losing streak with a 51-37 home win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday.  After tonight's game, the Lady Jaspers have nine days off before visiting Fordham for the annual "Battle of the Bronx." 

THE LADY JASPERS
Manhattan (5-2) has won four straight, its longest streak since also winning four in a row from Jan. 2-11, 2004.  The Lady Jaspers are coming off a 61-49 victory at Maryland Eastern Shore on Monday night.  Manhattan is allowing just 52.0 points per game and has given up more than 60 points only once this season.  Senior guard Abby Wentworth is the only Lady Jasper averaging in double-figures with 14.6 points per game.  She also leads the team in assists (4.3 apg) and steals (3.1 spg) while ranking second in rebounding (5.3 rpg).  Freshman guard Monica Roeder averages 9.1 points per game, while junior forward Lindsey Loutsenhizer contributes 8.3 points and 4.4 boards per contest.  Junior forward Nadia Peters is the team's leading rebounder with 6.3 per outing.  After playing four out of five at home, the Lady Jaspers don't return to Draddy Gymnasium until Dec. 30.

THE LEOPARDS
Lafayette (3-5) snapped a three-game losing streak with a 51-37 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday.  Eight different Leopards are averaging at least 5.3 points per game, led by senior guard/forward LaKeisha Wright's 12.0 points per contest.  Wright also averages 5.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.  Senior guard Lauren Jackson contributes 8.0 points and a team-leading 1.4 steals per game, and sophomore guard Alicia Manning adds 6.5 points per game.  Freshman center Danielle Fiacco leads the Leopards with 6.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per outing, while junior forward Sarah McGorry pulls down 5.5 boards per contest.  As a team, Lafayette averages 42.9 rebounds per game.  Junior guard Melissa Downey hands out 3.5 assists per contest.  Longtime Fairfield mentor Dianne Nolan is in her first season as head coach of the Leopards, who were picked to finish sixth in the Patriot League Preseason Poll.

SERIES HISTORY
This is the eighth all-time meeting between the Lady Jaspers and Leopards, but the sides haven't met since Dec. 7, 1996, a 63-55 Manhattan victory at Draddy Gymnasium.  The Lady Jaspers have won three straight against the Leopards and hold a 4-3 edge in an all-time series that began during the 1984-85 season.  Lafayette's last win over Manahttan was a 61-56 triumph on Feb. 2, 1989.

WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME
Manhattan extended its winning streak to four with a 61-49 victory over Maryland Eastern Shore at the Hytche Athletic Center on Monday night.  With the score tied at 10-10 early in the first half, Monica Roeder and Toni-Ann Lawrence tallied all 16 points during a 16-5 Manhattan run that gave the Lady Jaspers an 11-point advantage, and Manhattan led 36-25 at halftime.  The Lady Hawks pulled within one, 45-44, with 7:46 remaining, but a three-point play by Abby Wentworth pushed the Lady Jaspers' advantage back to four.  Manhattan outscored Maryland Eastern Shore 16-4 over the final 7:08 to pull away for the 61-49 victory.  Wentworth and Roeder both finished with 18 points, while Lawrence had a career-high 11 points and grabbed a team-best six rebounds.

MEDIA GUIDE
The 2010-11 Manhattan women's basketball media guide is available to view and download at www.gojaspers.com.  The most complete source for all information on the 2010-11 Lady Jaspers, the media guide features player and coach profiles, as well as a review of the 2009-10 season.  It also contains an in-depth look at the program's history, including the Manhattan women's basketball record book.  The media guide is presented in an online format for easy viewing on a computer, and there is also a printable PDF version.