Manhattan Wraps Up Regular Season Sunday at Iona

Manhattan-Iona Game Notes

TODAY'S GAME
Manhattan (20-8, 12-5 MAAC) wraps up the regular season this afternoon with the first of back-to-back games against Iona (11-18, 7-10 MAAC).  The Lady Jaspers picked up their program record-tying 20th win on Friday night, a 53-44 triumph over Fairfield at Draddy Gymnasium.  Iona dropped an 83-80 overtime decision to Loyola on Friday night.  The Lady Jaspers and Gaels will meet again at 11:30 a.m. on Friday in the quarterfinals of the MAAC Tournament. 

THE LADY JASPERS
The Lady Jaspers (20-8, 12-5 MAAC) snapped a two-game losing streak with a 53-44 "Senior Night" victory over Fairfield on Friday.  The victory was Manhattan's 20th of the season, tying the program record for wins.  Senior guard Abby Wentworth enters today's contest two points away from becoming the 18th 1,000-point scorer in program history.  She leads the Lady Jaspers with 14.1 points per game and distributes a MAAC-leading 4.3 assists per contest.  Freshman guard/forward Monica Roeder contributes 9.0 points per game, while junior forward Lindsey Loutsenhizer ranks third on the team in scoring (8.9 ppg) and second in rebounding (5.6 rpg).  Junior forward Nadia Peters pulls down a team-leading 6.1 rebounds per game.  Manhattan has clinched the No. 3 seed in the MAAC Tournament, and will meet Iona again in the quarterfinals at 11:30 a.m. on Friday.

THE GAELS
Iona (11-18, 7-10 MAAC) lost in overtime for the third time this season, 83-80 against Loyola, on Friday night.  That defeat snapped the Gaels' two-game winning streak.  Junior forward Kristina Ford and senior forward Anda Ivkovic both average 11.8 points per game to lead the team.  Ford also paces the Gaels with 6.0 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 0.9 blocks per contest.  She also ranks second on the squad in assists, dishing out 1.5 per game.  Ivkovic also contributes 5.8 rebounds per game, while junior guard Tomica Bacic collects 5.4 boards to go along with 8.0 points per outing and sophomore guard Diana Hubbard adds 7.3 points per game.  Senior guard Marissa Flagg averages a team-best 2.9 assists per game and is tied for the team lead in steals (1.9 spg).  The Gaels, who were picked second in the MAAC Preseason Poll, will be the No. 6 seed in the MAAC Tournament and take on the Lady Jaspers for the second time in five days in Friday's quarterfinals.

SERIES HISTORY
The Lady Jaspers snapped a three-game losing streak against the Gaels with a 63-47 victory at Draddy Gymnasium on Feb. 14.  Manhattan's last win at the Hynes Athletic Center was a 57-56 triumph on Jan. 4, 2009.  This is the 63rd all-time meeting between the schools, which are both original members of the MAAC, and Manhattan holds a 41-21 edge in the series.

WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME
The Lady Jaspers notched a 53-44 victory over Fairfield on Friday night at Draddy Gymnasium.  Playing in her final home game, Abby Wentworth led Manhattan with 18 points, as the Lady Jaspers won on "Senior Night" for their school record-tying 20th victory of the season.  Fairfield led for most of the first half, but Lindsey Loutsenhizer hit a turnaround jumper as time expired to cut Manhattan's deficit to two, 27-25, at intermission.  The Lady Jaspers took the lead, 30-29, early in the second half, then went on a 13-3 run to take control.  With the 53-44 win, the Lady Jaspers secured the No. 3 seed in the MAAC Tournament and the third 20-win season in school history.  Wentworth led three Lady Jaspers in double figures, as Loutsenhizer tallied 14 points and Monica Roeder added 10 points.