RIVERDALE, N.Y. — Manhattan outscored Hofstra by a 22-8 margin in the fourth quarter to pull out its third straight win, defeating the Pride by a score of 62-49 on Sunday evening at Draddy Gymnasium. The Jaspers overcame a six-point deficit between the third and fourth quarters by employing lockdown defense and impressive shot-making. Petra Juric played every minute in helping secure the win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
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Manhattan got off to a cold shooting start and trailed 14-6 following a lay-up from Zyheima Swint with 1:53 left in the first quarter. The Jaspers trailed 17-8 after one.
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Ines Gimenez Monserrat opened the second-quarter scoring with a jumper off an assist from Petra Juric, cutting the early deficit to seven.
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After Emma Von Hessen knocked home a three on the ensuing possession, Petra Juric cracked the three-point category herself on an open straightaway look off an assist from Hana Muhl.
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With Manhattan trailing by six with 2:13 left in the second quarter, Muhl linked up with Juric on her roll to the basket for an easy two.
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Manhattan went into halftime trailing 24-19. The Jaspers were held to 21 percent and 23 percent respectively across the first two quarters.
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Manhattan started the third quarter fast and needed to against a cunning Hofstra side. The Jaspers nailed their first three shots of the half, including back to back conversions from Juric, which brought them to within one before a free throw from Muhl moments later knotted the score at 27.
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Then, Muhl made her presence felt in a big way with a nifty drive and finish that gave Manhattan its first lead (30-27) of the game since Muhl's opening basket of the game.
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The Pride punched right back with seven unanswered, forcing a 30-second timeout from Manhattan head coach Heather Vulin that turned into the media timeout. Solid free throwing shooting down the stretch—including a pair of 2-2 trips for Juric and Muhl—closed to within two at 40-38 before Leyla Ozturk's conversion down low equaled the score at 40.
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Manhattan outscored Hofstra 21-17 in the third quarter to face a infinitesimal 41-40 deficit heading into the final 10 minutes.
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The offense hummed at its best in the fourth quarter, showcasing impressive chemistry between the guards and the bigs to get frequent and efficient paint touches. Back-to-back baskets from Ozturk and Ines Gimenez Monserrat established a 49-44 Manhattan lead with 7:06 left.
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Another successful jumper from Gimenez Monserrat was followed by a dagger three from Muhl which opened an eight-point advantage with less than four left. All told, Manhattan held Hofstra scoreless over the final 4:09 to clinch the win.
STATS AND NOTES
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In addition to holding Hofstra scoreless for the final four plus minutes, Manhattan throttled the Pride to the tune of 18 percent shooting (2-11) for the visitors over the final 10 minutes.
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Manhattan went 13-15 for the line, good for 86 percent. As a team, Manhattan is shooting 71 percent (50-70) this season from the charity stripe which is fifth best in the MAAC. Gimenez Monserrat is a perfect 10-10.
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Petra Juric has 36 points over her last two games after finishing with 16 points in Sunday's win over Hofstra. The senior from Croatia has been extremely efficient on this homestand, shooting 75 percent (15-20).
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For only the second time in her career, Juric played the full 40 minutes. Coincidentally, the last time was last season's 53-45 win over Hofstra in Hempstead.
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Nitzan Amar tallied her most assists (8) in a Jaspers uniform. Amar matched her career-high which was set in a game for UNC Greensboro vs. Winthrop back on November 27, 2022.
QUOTES FROM MANHATTAN
Vulin on having Petra Juric on her side: "Petra is just a special human being. She's quite brilliant being in the highest honor society and as a captain she's a leader so she does a little bit of everything...The biggest thing I told her that we needed this year was rebounding because we knew with her talent that she was going to score…for her to grab 13 (rebounds) tonight was huge and we needed every single one."
Vulin on her team's unselfishness: "The beautiful thing about this team is they don't care who the leading scorer is. Our philosophy on offense when it's a good shot for you you're supposed to shoot… People know they are going to get shots and the more each player gets the more they will get in a rhythm."
NEXT TIME OUT
Manhattan will go for four straight when it hosts Fordham (2-2, 0-0 A-10) in the Battle of the Bronx on Wednesday, Nov. 20. Tip-off is slated for 7 PM on ESPN+.
Purchase your tickets today for the Battle of the Bronx!