Manhattan-Cornell Game Notes
Game 3: Manhattan Jaspers (1-1) at Cornell Big Red (2-2)
Tuesday, November 20, 2012-7 p.m.
Ithaca, N.Y.-Newman Arena (4,473)
Video: www.cornellbigred.com
Audio: www.cornellbigred.com
ABOUT THE GAME
Manhattan (1-1) hits the road for the first time this season to take on Cornell (2-2) at Newman Arena. The Jaspers are coming off a 68-63 triumph over VCU on Wednesday night. The Big Red, who have alternated wins and losses through their first four games, dropped an 80-35 decision to Syracuse on Friday night. This marks the fourth straight year in which Manhattan and Cornell are meeting. After tonight, Manhattan plays four of its next five at home, starting with a matchup against Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday.
ABOUT THE JASPERS
The Jaspers (1-1) picked up their first win of the season, 68-63 over VCU last Wednesday night. Junior guard Monica Roeder paces Manhattan with 13.5 points per game, while sophomore guard Nicole Isaacs tallies 10.5 points per contest. Isaacs leads the MAAC with 3.5 three-pointers per game and is shooting .538 from beyond the arc. Senior forward Toni-Ann Lawrence, who played in her 100th consecutive game against VCU, contributes 10.0 points a night and leads the Jaspers with 3.5 steals per game. Lawrence also pulls down 5.5 rebounds per outing, which is tied for the team lead with freshman Shayna Ericksen. In addition, Lawrence boasts the best field goal percentage in the league (.615). Senior guard Ondya Morgan paces the MAAC in assists, handing out 5.5 per game. As a team, Manhattan leads the MAAC in scoring (64.0 ppg), field goal percentage (.454), steals (10.5 spg) and turnover margin (+7.0).
ABOUT THE BIG RED
Cornell (2-2) has alternated wins and losses over its first four games of the season. The Big Red are coming off an 80-35 home loss to Syracuse on Friday night. Junior guard Allyson DiMagno is averaging a double-double for the season. She leads the Big Red with 13.5 points and an Ivy League-best 10.8 rebounds a night. DiMagno also tallies 2.3 steals per outing. Senior forward Clare Fitzpatrick contributes 11.5 points per game and ranks seventh in the Ivy League in blocks (1.3 bpg), while junior guard Shelby Lyman distributes a team-high 2.8 assists per contest to go along with 8.0 points per outing. Junior guard Stephanie Long drains 1.5 three-pointers a night while also pulling down 5.3 boards an outing. DiMagno, Lyman and Long all average more than 32 minutes per game. Head Coach Dayna Smith is in her 10th season at Cornell, and she led the Big Red to the Ivy League title in 2007-08. The Big Red were picked to finish sixth in this year's Ivy League Preseason Poll.
SERIES HISTORY
Manhattan and Cornell are meeting for the fourth consecutive season. In last year's meeting, the Jaspers posted a 73-49 victory at Draddy Gymnasium on Dec. 20, 2011. After Cornell won the first game in the series during the 2009-10 season, Manhattan has beaten the Big Red in each of the last two meetings, including a 73-45 victory at Newman Arena on Dec. 21, 2010.
LAST GAME--Manhattan 68, VCU 63
In John Olenowski's 100th game as head coach, the Jaspers led wire-to-wire in a 68-63 victory over VCU last Wednesday at Draddy Gymnasium. Manhattan made 10 of its first 13 shots to open up a 21-6 lead, and the Jaspers led by as many as 18 points in the first half. After holding a 36-29 edge at intermission, Manhattan scored the first six points of the second half to increase its lead to 13. VCU chipped away at the margin, and got within one, 64-63, with nine seconds remaining, but Maggie Blair hit four free throws down the strecth to seal the Jaspers' first victory of the season, 68-63. Monica Roeder led the way with 14 points, while Toni-Ann Lawrence and Nicole Isaacs added 12 points apiece. Ondya Morgan distributed a career-high eight assists, and Shayna Ericksen grabbed a team-best six rebounds.
