Box Score
NEWARK, N.J. - The Manhattan College women's basketball team scored the first eight points of the game and led by as many as 26 points before a furious NJIT rally on Sunday afternoon. In the end, however, the Jaspers' lead was just too great, as Manhattan (2-3) held on for a 75-66 triumph over the Highlanders (3-2) at the Fleisher Athletic Center. Lindsey Loutsenhizer (North Huntingdon, Pa.) had a double-double for Manhattan, notching 16 points and tying a career-high with 14 rebounds.
Manhattan quickly jumped in front 8-0, and NJIT was kept off the scoreboard until a Rayven Johnson jumper seven minutes into the contest. The Jaspers responded with a basket by Allison Skrec (Roselle, N.J.), then back-to-back buckets from Schyanne Halfkenny (Hyde Park, Mass.) that extended their lead to 14-2 with 11:15 remaining in the first half.
NJIT got back within eight when a three-pointer by Alyssa Albanese made it 15-7 at the 9:58 mark, but Alyssa Herrington (Cambridge, N.Y.) sank a trey 20 seconds later to start an 11-0 run that extended Manhattan's advantage to 26-7. The cushion reached 23 points on a layup by Nicole Isaacs (Fair Haven, N.J.) with 1:12 left in the half, and Manhattan held a 36-15 edge at the break. The Jaspers held the Highlanders to 19.4 percent (6-of-31) shooting and outrebounded NJIT 30-11 in the opening 20 minutes.
After the Jaspers' advantage reached a game-high 26 points eight minutes into the second half, NJIT used the long ball to cut into the lead. Manhattan led 64-39 after a Halfkenny three-point play with 9:26 remaining before a Sarah Olson trey ignited a 13-0 NJIT run that made it a 12-point game, 66-54, with 3:14 to go.
Following a Manhattan timeout, Loutsenhizer grabbed a big offensive rebound off a Monica Roeder (Marlton, N.J.) miss. Roeder then ended the possession with a fade away jumper as the shot clock expired, making it 68-54 with under two minutes left. The Highlanders continued to fight back, though, getting within eight, 70-62, at the 42-second mark. With NJIT now forced to foul, the Jaspers sealed the win at the line. Roeder drained five of six free throw attempts in the final 40 seconds to cap Manhattan's first road win of the season, a 75-66 victory.
"We were fortunate that we had such a big lead," Head Coach John Olenowski said. "It's unfortunate that we weren't able to build on it, but they (NJIT) did a great job shooting the ball in the second half. However, we had very balanced scoring and were able to get some big shots when we needed them."
Four Jaspers reached double-figures in the scoring column, led by Roeder's 19 points. She also grabbed six rebounds and handed out three assists. Loutsenhizer tallied four steals to go along with her double-double, while Halfkenny and Toni-Ann Lawrence (Elmont, N.Y.) each added 10 points. Maggie Blair (Briarcliff, N.Y.) distributed seven assists and Skrec notched a career-high four assists, as the Jaspers posted 21 assists on 28 successful field goals. Manhattan shot 46.7 percent (28-of-60) from the field and outrebounded NJIT 43-30. The Jaspers went 7-for-18 (38.9 percent) from three-point land and 12-for-17 (70.6 percent) at the charity stripe.
NJIT was led by Olson, whose 16 points all came in the second half. Denisa Domiterova added 12 points, six rebounds and seven assists for the Highlanders, while Johnson notched eight points, six boards and five assists. Nicole Maticka and Uju Nwankwo each had eight points, four assists and three blocks in the game. NJIT shot 34.9 percent (22-of-63) from the field, 48.3 percent (14-of-29) from downtown, and 80 percent (8-of-10) at the free throw line.
After opening the season with five straight away from home, the Jaspers hit the floor at Draddy Gymnasium for the first time this season on Wednesday, when they take on local rival Fordham (3-2) for the annual "Battle of the Bronx" at 7 p.m. Manhattan has won two straight against the Rams and leads the all-time series 24-18.
"It'll definitely be nice to play at home," Olenowski said. "We're looking forward to being back at Draddy."
NOTES: It was the second all-time meeting between the schools, and the first at the Fleisher Athletic Center...Manhattan has won both all-time meetings...The Jaspers haven't trailed in either of their victories this season...Loutsenhizer sank four three-pointers in the game, becoming the eighth player in program history with 100 career treys...She had the first double-double by a Manhattan player this season, and her first since tallying 24 points and 13 boards against Wright State on March 20, 2011...Loutsenhizer previously collected 14 rebounds against Sacred Heart on March 17, 2011...The 43 total rebounds were Manhattan's most this season...NJIT was just 8-for-34 (23.5 percent) from two-point range...All 10 Jaspers who scored did so in the first half.
To follow Manhattan Athletics on Twitter, go to twitter.com/GoJaspers or visit Manhattan's Facebook fan page.
