EMMITSBURG, MD. – In an area that played host to a historical battle in American history, it only makes sense that it would lead to a battle between the Manhattan women's basketball team and Mount St. Mary's Saturday afternoon at Knott Arena, with the Jaspers coming away with a 52-45 victory.
Manhattan improves to 12-16 on the year and 9-10 in league play. As for The Mount, they drop to 10-17 overall and a MAAC mark of 6-12.
"Really proud of the Road Fight in this team today! They stayed locked into the defensive game plan and absolutely dominated the boards," said head coach
Heather Vulin. "Led by another tremendous game by
Dee Dee Davis we had multiple people step up and make big plays on both sides of the ball."
Basketball is a game of runs, and the first half was a prime example of that concept in action. Manhattan went on a 13-0 run that started with just under four minutes left in the first quarter. Davis accounted for the first four points of the Jaspers spurt thanks to a pair of free throws before the quarter ended.
The Jaspers then scored the first nine points of the first quarter, including a Davis and-one off a steal in transition, to take an 18-8 lead before the run was stopped by a three out of the hands of The Mount's Aryna Taylor. Manhattan responded to Taylor with a triple of their own courtesy of
Emily LaPointe. After that, The Mount closed the gap by utilizing a trio of threes to force Manhattan to call a timeout after the lead shifted back to the Mountaineers, 22-21. Manhattan netted the final four points of the first half to enter the locker room with a 25-22 lead.
The third quarter was a defensive battle as both teams struggled to get into an offensive rhythm. Manhattan took a one-point lead, 33-32, into the final quarter after Taylor beat the buzzer with another triple. A play that stands out comes from
Brazil Harvey-Carr, who grabbed four offensive rebounds in a single possession and still managed to find the basket.
In the final 10 minutes, with a large contingent of supporters behind her, hometown hero
Anne Bair drilled a three off an offensive rebound by
Petra Juric to give the Jaspers a six-point lead, 38-32. The Mount regained a one-point lead thanks to a pair of baskets from Natalie Vilalfor and then a deep ball from Carissa Dunham. Manhattan responded with six unanswered points to regain the lead and hang on to earn a road victory.
Davis led the way for the Green and White, posting 25-points and 10 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the year. Harvey-Carr added 12 points and seven boards.
"Going into March, we mentally understand our opponents record is 0-0, and so is ours. Nothing else matters in March," added Davis. "The teams that figure it out around this time of year, have fun. We're ready to have fun."
Manhattan's regular-season finale is next Thursday in Draddy when Rider comes to Riverdale for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
Follow Us on Social Media: For the latest on the Manhattan College women's basketball program, follow the Jaspers on Twitter
@Manhattan_WBB and Instagram
@Manhattanwbb and like "
Manhattan Jaspers Women's Basketball" on Facebook.
