Box Score
Box Score
JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Shayna Ericksen (Long Valley, N.J.) had 23 points, including a pair of free throws with 11 seconds left that sealed a 69-66 victory for the Manhattan College women's basketball team (3-23, 2-15 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) over Saint Peter's (3-24, 3-14 MAAC) at the Yanitelli Center on Saturday afternoon. The Jaspers trailed by 11 points at halftime before outscoring the Peacocks 41-27 in the second half to end their 12-game losing streak.
“It's great to finally get back in the win column,” Head Coach John Olenowski said. “This was a great team effort. We played hard, never gave up and gutted one out.”
Saint Peter's held a 39-28 lead at intermission, but the Jaspers began the second half on a 12-4 run to pull within three, 43-40. After the Peacocks went back up by nine, 51-42, Manhattan used a 9-2 rally to cut its deficit to two at 53-51 with 6:52 remaining.
One of the most crucial sequences of the game occurred at the 5:06 mark. With Saint Peter's leading 55-53, a Taylor Williams (Windsor, Conn.) layup was short and Ericksen secured the rebound. She went for the put back and, after initially calling a shot clock violation, the officials conferred and determined that Ericksen was fouled in the act of shooting before the clock hit zero. Ericksen made both free throws to tie the game, and Saint Peter's was called for another foul after the second shot, giving the ball back to Manhattan.
However, the Jaspers missed a shot on that possession and Saint Peter's pulled down the rebound. Blake Underhill (Edgewater, N.J.) got a steal, though, and drove for a layup that gave Manhattan a 57-55 lead.
Hala Mostafa immediately countered with a three-pointer for the Peacocks, but Nyasha Irizarry (Brooklyn, N.Y.) gave the lead back to the Jaspers with a trey on the other end. Williams then sank a three of her own to put Manhattan up 63-58 and force a Saint Peter's timeout.
“That was a huge sequence,” Olenowski said. “It was important that we responded right away after they took back the lead, and Nyasha and Taylor came through with a couple of big shots.”
A jumper by Talah Hughes made it a two-point game, 67-65, with 1:11 left, and the Peacocks corralled the rebound after an Underhill miss at the other end. Saint Peter's held for one shot and Mostafa was fouled after an offensive rebound. She made the first free throw, but missed the second and Ericksen secured the loose ball. She was immediately fouled and calmly sank two free throws to increase Manhattan's lead to three, 69-66. The Peacocks' three-point attempt at the buzzer was off the mark, giving the Jaspers their first win since Jan. 4.
Manhattan came back to earn the win after trailing by as many as 13 points in the first half. Saint Peter's jumped out to an early 15-5 lead before the Jaspers rallied for eight of the next 10 points to get within four, 17-13. However, the Peacocks countered with a 17-8 run to open up a 34-21 advantage with 2:41 remaining before halftime. The margin was 11 points, 39-28, at the break.
“I'm so proud of this team today,” Olenowski said. “Shayna was incredible, but we got contributions from everybody. This was, without a doubt, our best, most complete team effort of the season from start to finish.”
Ericksen also grabbed 11 rebounds to complete her eighth double-double of the season. Kayla Grimme (Altoona, N.Y.) added 12 points and six boards, while Williams sank four treys to finish with 12 points. Seeing her first action since Jan. 16, Sheridan Heine (Corning, N.Y.) played 19 minutes off the bench and notched career-highs with nine points, three steals and two blocks. Underhill, meanwhile, handed out a career-high 11 assists, as Manhattan tallied 20 assists compared to just six turnovers. As a team, the Jaspers shot 40.6 percent (26-of-64) from the field, a season-high 56.3 percent (9-of-16) from long range, and 80 percent (8-of-10) at the charity stripe.
Antonia Smith led the Peacocks with 17 points and seven assists. Sajanna Bethea recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Hughes had a double-double of her own with 14 points and 10 boards. Mostafa added 12 points and five rebounds, and Alyssa Veles contributed 10 points and six boards. Saint Peter's shot 44.1 percent (26-of-59) as a team and outrebounded Manhattan 39-35. The Peacocks went 6-for-16 (37.5 percent) from downtown and 8-for-14 (57.1 percent) at the free throw line.
The Jaspers are back in action on Tuesday night, when they welcome MAAC regular season champion Quinnipiac (24-3, 16-0 MAAC) to Draddy Gymnasium for a 7 p.m. matchup. The contest was originally scheduled for Jan. 26, but was postponed due to a winter storm.
NOTES: Manhattan won at Saint Peter's for the sixth straight year…The Jaspers are 9-2 in their last 11 games against the Peacocks, but Saint Peter's leads the all-time series, 52-26…The teams split the season series for the second time in three years…Manhattan has trailed at the half in each of its wins this season…The Jaspers shot worse than their opponent and still won for the first time this season…Ericksen reached the 20-point mark for the third time this season…She also tallied 23 points in the victory at Holy Cross on Nov. 16…The last time a Jasper had double-digit assists in a game, Allison Skrec handed out 11 against Quinnipiac on March 1, 2014…As a team, Manhattan set a season-high with nine three-point field goals, and the 69 points matched the Jaspers' season-high…The start of the second half was delayed 10 minutes due to an alarm in the building.
