NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — Manhattan opened Thursday night's game at Iona with a 10-2 run before the Gaels took control after halftime and never looked back, defeating the Jaspers 64-47. The Gaels balanced scoring effort—led by five double-figure scorers—proved too much for Manhattan on this night.
HOW IT HAPPENED
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Manhattan jumped out to its 10-2 run over the opening five minutes thanks to the help of two three-pointers from Nitzan Amar.
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After finding Petra Juric for an easy two with her nifty pass, Amar canned the final basket of the first quarter by nailing her straightaway mid-range jumper to extend the Jaspers lead to 16-9 after one.
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Iona's Talia DePetrillo and Mya Zaccagnini delivered the opening two baskets for the Gaels of the second quarter to cut the Jaspers lead down to three with over seven minutes left in the third quarter.
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The Jaspers wouldn't score until the 5:18 mark of the second quarter thanks to another jumper by Amar. Less than a minute later, a short mid-range jumper from Tegan Young pushed the Jaspers lead to 20-13 with 4:38 left.
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Manhattan went the final 4:38 of the second quarter without a basket as Iona closed on a 13-0 run. The Gaels' four buckets during the stretch came from all different sources and Erin Leary sprinkled in a trio of free throws to send the home team into the locker room up 26-20.
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The Jaspers worked hard in the third quarter to stay in striking distance, and closed the stanza on a 9-5 run. The big letdown came at the end of the quarter when a Nitzan Amar three was answered by a three ball from Erin Leary that gave the Gaels a 10-point cushion heading into the fourth quarter.
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Manhattan started the fourth quarter on a positive note, receiving back-to-back baskets by Leyla Ozturk which cut the deficit down to six with 8:30 left.
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However, the Jaspers were outscored by 11 points the rest of the way and were belabored by a 7-0 Iona run which nailed down the final result.
STATS AND NOTES
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The four points scored in the second quarter was the team's lowest point total in a quarter this season.
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The Jaspers shot 22.2% in the second quarter. Outside of the second quarter, Manhattan shot 48.6%.
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Iona forced Manhattan into 20 turnovers, marking the fourth straight game in which the Jaspers have had 20 or more turnovers.
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The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for Manhattan against Iona.
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At 4-6 in MAAC play, Manhattan is tied for 9th with Canisius in the standings.
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Senior guard Nitzan Amar returned to the line-up after missing last game vs. Mount St. Mary's due to a calf injury.
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Amar tallied a team-high 15 points which was her fifth double-digit scoring performance in the last six games.
QUOTES FROM MANHATTAN
Head coach Heather Vulin: "It was a hard-fought MAAC game and it was great to have Nitzan back in the line-up for us. I thought she really battled after being out. At the end of the day, we have to rebound better and take care of the basketball."
NEXT TIME UP
Manhattan has a quick lay-off as it returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 2 PM to take on Sacred Heart (6-12, 2-7) when the program celebrates women and girls in sports. The action will be streamed live on ESPN+ from Draddy Gymnasium.
After the game, Manhattan women's basketball will be joined by women's soccer, women's volleyball and softball to facilitate clinics for kids ahead of National Girls and Women in Sports Day on Wednesday, Feb. 5.
Follow Manhattan women's basketball on X (@Manhattan_WBB) and Instagram (@manhattanwbb).