Box Score
Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. – The Manhattan College women's basketball team opened its home schedule with a matchup against La Salle on Sunday afternoon. The Jaspers (1-3) led at halftime and held an eight-point advantage midway through the second half before the Explorers (1-2) went on a 17-2 run to pull in front for good en route to a 72-62 victory at Draddy Gymnasium.
Manhattan was up 30-28 at the break, and the Jaspers extended that margin to five points when Monica Roeder (Marlton, N.J.) drained a three early in the second half. After La Salle scored back-to-back baskets to pull within one at 33-32, a Shayna Ericksen (Long Valley, N.J.) layup started a 10-3 Manhattan rally that gave the Jaspers a 43-35 cushion with 13:36 remaining.
However, La Salle responded with 10 points in less than a minute, and the Explorers took a 45-43 lead on a three-point play by Khristin Lee at the 12:43 mark. After Kayla Grimme (Altoona, Pa.) tied it with a layup, the Explorers rallied for seven straight points to open up a 52-45 advantage midway through the second half.
The Jaspers once again rallied back, getting layups from Grimme and Roeder, then two from Allison Skrec (Roselle, N.J.) to make it a one-point game, 54-53, with 6:54 to go. La Salle countered with 11 of the next 13 points, though, increasing its lead to 10 on a three-pointer by Micahya Owens at the 2:22 mark. A Nicole Isaacs (Fair Haven, N.J.) three-pointer pulled the Jaspers within seven at 65-58 with 1:31 remaining, but a Cropper trey on the other end brought the margin back to 10 points, 68-58, with 1:05 left. Manhattan pulled within six on a jumper by Ashley Stec (Cazenovia, N.Y.) and a pair of Roeder free throws before the Explorers sealed the 72-62 victory with foul shots in the final minute.
“They (La Salle) controlled the boards in the second half and got some easy looks,” Head Coach John Olenowski said. “They're very quick. They jumped into the passing lanes and got some steals. When you do that, you can get some quick points, and that's exactly what they did.”
It was a close contest throughout, as the first half featured six ties and four lead changes. Manhattan held an early 9-6 advantage before La Salle went on a 14-4 spurt to open up a 20-13 lead with 8:30 left in the period. It was then the Jaspers' turn to go on a 13-4 run, as a Roeder layup at the 7:58 mark started the rally that was capped by Nicole Anderson's (Hamden, Conn.) bucket that made it 28-24 with 2:24 remaining before halftime. After the Explorers scored the next four points to tie it at 28-28, Roeder hit a jumper to put Manhattan in front, 30-28, at intermission.
Roeder paced the Jaspers with a game-high 18 points. Stec got the start and tallied 14 points, two assists and two steals in 33 minutes, while Skrec notched nine points and seven assists. Ericksen contributed eight points and four rebounds. Grimme and Anderson grabbed five boards apiece to lead the team. Manhattan shot 45.5 percent (25-of-55) from the field, but just 25 percent (3-of-12) from three-point range. The Jaspers were a perfect 9-for-9 at the free throw line.
Cropper and Lee each recorded 17 points for La Salle. Cropper added five rebounds and six assists, while Lee also tallied four boards, three assists and four steals. Owens, meanwhile, posted 12 points and seven rebounds. Siobhan Beslow contributed nine points, eight rebounds and three steals, and Jasmine Alston notched six rebounds and four assists off the bench. The Explorers shot 40.3 percent (25-of-62) from the field and outrebounded the Jaspers 44-29. La Salle shot 29.4 percent (5-of-17) from long range and 56.7 percent (17-of-30) at the charity stripe.
The Jaspers are back in action on Tuesday, when they continue their three-game homestand against DelawareState (1-3) at 4 p.m. That contest is the opener of a Manhattan basketball doubleheader. Following the women's game, the Manhattan men's team takes on rival Fordham in the annual “Battle of the Bronx” at 7 p.m.
NOTES: The Jaspers and Explorers met for the first time since the 1992 MAAC Tournament, which was La Salle's final season in the conference…La Salle has won four straight against Manhattan and leads the all-time series 18-7…Manhattan has dropped its last four home openers…The Jaspers lost after leading at halftime for the first time since a 48-43 defeat at Niagara on Feb. 24, 2013…The Jaspers used a different starting lineup for the third consecutive game, with Ericksen returning to the starting lineup and Stec making her first start of the season…Prior to the game, Roeder was recognized for scoring her 1,000th career point...During the contest, she moved past both Leigh-Ann Walker and Abby Wentworth into 16th place on the Jaspers' all-time scoring list with 1085 career points…Manhattan didn't miss a free throw for the first time since March 14, 2012, when the Jaspers went 9-for-9 at the line against Robert Morris.
