Manhattan Hosts UAB In WBI Semifinals

Manhattan-UAB Game Notes

TONIGHT'S GAME
Manhattan (24-9) hosts UAB (18-15) tonight at Draddy Gymnasium in the semifinals of the Women's Basketball Invitational.  The fifth-seeded Lady Jaspers have knocked off fourth-seeded Sacred Heart (52-48) and top-seeded Wright State (75-73), while the second-seeded Blazers have posted victories over sixth-seeded Central Arkansas (58-54) and third-seeded Elon (59-50).  The winner of tonight's game faces either Cal State Bakersfield or Chicago State in the WBI Championship Game.

THE LADY JASPERS
The Lady Jaspers (24-9) moved into the WBI semifinals with a 75-73 victory at Wright State on Sunday afternoon.  Junior forward Lindsey Loutsenhizer had a double-double in the game, tying a career-high with 24 points and adding 13 rebounds.  Loutsenhizer ranks third on the team in scoring (9.2 ppg) and is tied for the team lead with 6.1 rebounds per game.  Senior guard Abby Wentworth, a First Team All-MAAC selection, leads the Lady Jaspers with 14.1 points per game.  She also distributes a confernce-best 4.2 assists per outing and ranks second in the league in steals (3.0 spg).  Freshman guard/forward Monica Roeder, a MAAC All-Rookie Team choice, tied her career-high with 21 points against Wright State.  Roeder tallies 9.7 points per game.  Junior forward Nadia Peters is tied for the team lead in rebounding (6.1 rpg), while also contributing 2.7 steals and 1.2 blocks per contest.

THE BLAZERS
UAB (18-15) posted a 58-54 victory over Central Arkansas in the first round, then beat Elon 59-50 to move into the semifinals of the WBI.  The Blazers were one of six Conference USA teams selected to play in the postseason (two NCAA, three WNIT).  Sophomore guard Amber Jones is UAB's top scorer.  She averages 12.1 points per game.  Jones also tallies 2.2 assists and 1.6 steals per contest.  Senior guard Amanda Peterson contributes 10.4 points per game and drains 2.8 three-pointers per outing.  Junior guard LaShaunda Pratt adds 9.0 points per game, while junior center Meagan Brown is the Blazers' top rebounder, pulling down 5.6 boards per contest.  Brown also averages 1.5 blocks per game.  Sophomore guard Khalilah Watson distributes a team-best 2.3 assists per outing and freshman forward Karisma Chapman, a member of the Conference USA All-Freshman Team, tallies 7.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game off the bench.

SERIES HISTORY
Manhattan and UAB have met once before, a 73-53 Blazers victory on Dec. 4, 1994 in the championship game of the Big Apple Classic at Draddy Gymnasium.  All-time, the Lady Jaspers have faced five schools that are currently members of Conference USA.  Manhattan is 1-4 in those games, with the only victory coming over SMU, 70-60, on Dec. 19, 2007.

WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME
Lindsey Loutsenhizer and Monica Roeder combined for 45 points to lead the Lady Jaspers to a 75-73 victory over Wright State in the WBI quarterfinals on Sunday.  Wright State led for most of the first half before Manhattan ended the period on a 6-0 run to trim its deficit to four, 34-30, at intermission.  The Lady Jaspers then used a 16-4 spurt early in the second half to take a 52-46 lead.  Manhattan led 75-73 with 21 seconds remaining, but Roeder's jumper was off the mark and Wright State grabbed the rebound.  The Raiders missed a three, but got the rebound and called timeout with 1.3 seconds left.  However, Wright State never got a shot off, and Manhattan moved on to the semifinals.  Loutsenhizer tied a career-high with 24 points and added 13 rebounds, while Roeder equaled her career-best with 21 points.

TOURNAMENT SCENARIOS
The winner of tonight's semifinal contest moves into the WBI Championship Game against either Cal State Bakersfield or Chicago State this weekend.  The highest remaining seed will host the championship game, while the home team in a Manhattan-Chicago State matchup (both No. 5 seeds) will be determined by higher RPI.  The Cal State Bakersfield-Chicago State semifinal took place late Wednesday night.