Manhattan Hosts Sacred Heart Thursday Night In WBI

Manhattan-Sacred Heart Game Notes

TONIGHT'S GAME
Manhattan (22-9) makes its first postseason appearance in eight years with tonight's Women's Basketball Invitational first round game against Sacred Heart (18-12) at Draddy Gymnasium.  The Lady Jaspers last played on March 5, when they dropped a 50-47 decision to Loyola in the semifinals of the MAAC Tournament.  The Pioneers have also been off since March 5, when they lost to Central Connecticut, 54-49, in the quarterfinals of the Northeast Conference Tournament.

THE LADY JASPERS
The Lady Jaspers (22-9) enter the Women's Basketball Invitational as the No. 5 seed in the East Region.  Manhattan finished third in the MAAC this season and lost to Loyola, 50-47, in the MAAC quarterfinals on March 5.  Senior guard Abby Wentworth, a First Team All-MAAC and MAAC All-Tournament Team choice, paces the Lady Jaspers with 14.3 points, 4.2 assists and 3.0 steals per game.  Freshman guard/forward Monica Roeder was selected to the MAAC All-Rookie Team.  She averages 9.2 points per game.  Junior forward Lindsey Loutsenhizer, who earned Third Team All-MAAC honors, ranks third on the team in scoring (8.8 ppg) and second in rebounding (5.6 rpg).  Junior forward Nadia Peters leads the Lady Jaspers with 6.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per contest.  She also ranks third in the MAAC with an average of 2.6 steals per outing. 

THE PIONEERS
Sacred Heart (18-12) was awarded the No. 4 seed in the East Region of the Women's Basketball Invitational after finishing third in the Northeast Conference this season.  The Pioneers were upset by Central Connecticut, 54-49, in the NEC quarterfinals on March 5.  Sacred Heart is led by junior forward Callan Taylor, a First Team All-NEC selection.  Taylor paces the Pioneers with 14.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per contest.  Sophomore guard Kiley Evans has also started all 30 games.  She contributes 9.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per outing.  Senior guard Maggie Cosgrove pours in 8.7 points per contest, and she drains 2.0 three-pointers per game.  Freshman guard Ericka Norman earned a place on the NEC All-Rookie Team.  Norman averages 7.0 points and a team-leading 3.7 assists per game.  She also leads the Pioneers with 2.0 steals per outing.  This is the third postseason appearance for Sacred Heart, which played in the 2006 and 2009 NCAA Tournaments.

SERIES HISTORY
Manhattan and Sacred Heart are playing for the third straight season, having split the two previous meetings.  The home team won both prior games.  The Lady Jaspers notched a 68-62 victory over the Pioneers at Draddy Gymnasium on Nov. 30, 2008, and Sacred Heart returned the favor with a 64-45 triumph at the Pitt Center on Nov. 28, 2009.

WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME
Manhattan dropped a heartbreaker to Loyola, 50-47, in the MAAC semifinals on March 5.  Trailing by three with seven seconds left, the Lady Jaspers took timeout to set up a game-tying shot.  Monica Roeder got a good look from the top of the key, but her three-pointer fell just short and Manhattan was eliminated.  The Lady Jaspers led 22-19 at halftime, but Loyola stormed back to take a 40-35 lead midway through the second half.  Abby Wentworth banked in a three-pointer, then added a layup to put Manhattan in front 47-44 with 1:41 to go, but Loyola quickly got a pair of layups to regain the lead for good.  Wentworth and Roeder combined for 39 of Manhattan's 47 points in the game.  Wentworth finished with a game-high 22 points to go along with five rebounds and five steals, while Roeder added 17 points. 

POSTSEASON HISTORY
This season marks the fifth national postseason appearance in the program's 33-year history.  Manhattan has played in the NCAA Tournament four times, most recently in 2003, when it lost to Mississippi State in the first round in Albuquerque, N.M.  The Lady Jaspers also played in the ECAC Tournament in both 1982 and 1983, winning a game each time.  Manhattan's last postseason win was a 70-66 victory over Fairfield in the 1983 ECAC semifinals.  Tonight's contest is the first postseason home game in program history.

THE MAAC IN THE WBI
Manhattan is the second MAAC team to participate in the WBI in the event's two-year history.  Last season, Fairfield was selected to play in the inaugural WBI, and the Stags knocked off Towson, 69-55, in the first round before falling to eventual champion Appalachian State, 59-36, in the quarterfinals. 

TOURNAMENT SCENARIOS
The winner of tonight's game advances to meet either Wright State or Buffalo in the WBI quarterfinals this weekend.  Wright State, the No. 1 seed in the East Region, will host the game if it gets by the Bulls.  Otherwise, tonight's winner hosts Buffalo on either Saturday or Sunday.  The bottom half of the bracket in the East Region features UAB, Central Arkansas, Elon and USC Upstate.