Lady Jaspers Host Canisius On "National Girls and Women In Sports Day"

Manhattan-Canisius Game Notes

TODAY'S GAME
Manhattan (16-6, 8-3 MAAC) begins a three-game homestand this afternoon against Canisius (7-15, 3-8 MAAC) looking to extend its four-game winning streak.  The Lady Jaspers picked up a 48-45 victory at Siena on Friday, while the Griffs snapped a four-game losing streak with a 69-50 win at Saint Peter's.  Today is "National Girls and Women In Sports Day" at Draddy Gymnasium, as the Lady Jaspers celebrate the contributions of women in athletics.

THE LADY JASPERS
The Lady Jaspers (16-6, 8-3 MAAC) look to continue their four-game winning streak this afternoon, as they take on Canisius for the second time in 10 days.  Manhattan posted a 55-30 victory over the Griffs in Buffalo on Jan. 28.  The Lady Jaspers are coming off a 48-45 victory at Siena on Friday.  Senior guard Abby Wentworth paces the MAAC in both scoring and assists, averaging 15.0 points and 4.4 assists per game.  She also ranks second in the league with 3.2 steals per contest.  Junior forward Lindsey Loutsenhizer is second on the squad in both scoring (8.6 ppg) and rebounding (5.0 rpg), while junior forward Nadia Peters pulls down a team-leading 6.1 rebounds per game.  Peters also ranks second in the MAAC with 1.5 blocks per outing.  Manhattan continues its three-game homestand on Saturday, when Saint Peter's comes to Draddy Gymnasium on "Pack the House Day."

THE GOLDEN GRIFFINS
Canisius (7-15, 3-8 MAAC) snapped a four-game losing streak with a 69-50 victory at Saint Peter's on Friday night.  The Griffs had lost eight out of nine prior to that game.  Sophomore guard Ashley Durham is the only Griff averaging in double figures with 10.0 points per game.  She also dishes out a team-leading 2.7 assists per contest.  Freshman guard Jen Morabito contributes 9.3 points per outing and is shooting .400 from three-point range.  She drains 2.0 three-pointers per game.  Junior guard Steph MacDonald pulls down a team-high 5.1 rebounds per game, and also leads the team with 1.4 steals per contest.  Senior guard Micayla Drysdale distributes 2.2 assists per game, while freshman forward Courtney VandeBovenkamp averages 4.8 rebounds per contest.  Freshman forward Jen Lennox leads Canisius with 0.8 blocks per outing.  The Griffs continue their four-game road trip with a visit to Niagara on Saturday.

SERIES HISTORY
Manhattan and Canisius met just 10 days ago, with the Lady Jaspers posting a 55-30 victory at the Koessler Athletic Center that was nationally televised on ESPNU.  The last time the teams met at Draddy Gymnasium, the Lady Jaspers posted a 78-71 victory on Feb. 21, 2010.  Manhattan has won two straight in the series, but Canisius holds a 28-19 all-time edge.

WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME
Leading by one with 21 seconds left, the Lady Jaspers got the defensive stop they needed when Maggie Blair forced a turnover.  Monica Roeder then hit a pair of free throws to wrap up Manhattan's 48-45 victory over Siena at the Times Union Center on Friday.  The Lady Jaspers led 23-19 at halftime and extended their advantage to 11 points early in the second half before Siena climbed back within five, 40-35, at the 9:24 mark.  Manhattan pushed its lead back to nine with 4:47 to go, but the Saints went on an 8-0 run over the next two minutes to make it a one-point game, 46-45.  After Abby Wentworth missed a jumper with 24 seconds left, Siena grabbed the rebound and tried to hold for one shot, but turned the ball over instead.  Roeder led the Lady Jaspers with 14 points, while Wentworth added 13 points.

SUPER SUNDAY
This marks the first time that Manhattan is playing a home game on Super Bowl Sunday since Feb. 4, 2007, when the Lady Jaspers suffered a 71-51 loss to Marist a few hours before the Colts beat the Bears in Super Bowl XLI.  Manhattan hasn't played on Super Bowl Sunday since a 58-53 loss at Siena on Feb. 1, 2009.  The Lady Jaspers' last Super Bowl Sunday victory came on Feb. 3, 2008, when they notched an 82-49 triumph at Rider.  Later that day, the Giants topped the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.