RIVERDALE, NY – The Manhattan Jaspers women's basketball team (13-13, 7-10 MAAC) rolled against the Canisius Golden Griffins (7-19, 6-11) by a score of 71-35 on Thursday evening inside Draddy Gymnasium.
The victory puts Manhattan in sole possession of the ninth spot in the MAAC table. With Sacred Heart falling to Marist on Thursday evening, the Jaspers clinched a berth to the 2025 Hercules Tire MAAC Men's and Women's Basketball Championships in Atlantic City in two weeks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Jaspers got things started roughly a minute into the game, with Petra Juric finding Ines Gimenez Monserrat for the first two points of the contest.
- Underneath the basket for a pair of buckets were both Petra and Kristina Juric to extend Manhattan's lead to two possessions.
- Brianna Davis found Nitzan Amar down low off the team inbound to extend the Jaspers' lead to three once more.
- Manhattan came out swinging in the second quarter by outscoring the Golden Griffins by a whopping +16-point margin.
- Junior guard Hana Muhl continued the Jaspers' run with a booming three-pointer to give Manhattan an eight-point lead.
- Off a three-point miss by Cory Santoro for Canisius, Leyla Ozturk found Nitzan Amar in transition for another triple to extend its lead to as much as 14.
- Following Ozturk's stellar defensive abilities with a registered steal, Amar added another two points to continue widening Manhattan's advantage.
- Back-to-back triples by sophomore guard Tegan Young put the Jaspers on an 18-4 run spanning back nearly a full quarter to extend the already wide lead to 20.
- Entering the fourth quarter with its largest lead continuing to extend, Amar kept her foot on the gas with a triple to open the final stanza.
STATS AND NOTES
- Manhattan held Canisius to under 40 points on Thursday evening, marking the first time the Jaspers held any team to under the 40-point threshold this season.
- Sophomore guard Tegan Young scored 17 points on seven-of-14 shooting from the floor, three of which came from beyond the arc. In 22 minutes on the floor, Young added two assists and one carom.
- Senior guard Nitzan Amar registered 16 points on seven of nine from the floor. The Israeli product etched four assists to her ledger and grabbed two rebounds in 30 minutes on the night.
- Sophomore forward Kristina Juric added 12 points on five-of-nine shooting off the bench. The younger Juric added two free throws completed in one trip, six rebounds, and one assist in 21 minutes.
- Manhattan won the battle in the paint by doubling up the Golden Griffins 40-20 in the colored area.
- The Jaspers logged 38 rebounds while holding Canisius to just 27.
- Manhattan moves to 13-3 when tallying more assists than its opponents. Tonight, the Jaspers logged 21 on 30 total made field goals, while the Golden Griffins had just nine.
QUOTES FROM THE JASPERS:
Head Coach Heather Vulin: "I feel like the last two weeks, as we've been getting healthier, we've been getting that continuity and confidence back. Obviously, it was wonderful having Leyla (Ozturk) back in the lineup, and with Bri (Davis) starting to get her legs back under her, really impressed with the total team effort. Everyone came in and contributed something positive tonight."
Vulin on lineup juggling: "We were able to mix up the defense because obviously when you put Hana (Muhl) and Kiki (Juric) in, that's a lot of athleticism. A lot of like minded kids out there. Really proud of this group. It was a great win, and I felt like we won all four quarters, which we haven't done in a while. So, hopefully we can start peaking at the right time."
Senior guard Nitzan Amar: "Coach talked about it a lot. Good start, and good second half. I will take whatever Coach gives me. I'm comfortable in either guard position. I love the energy Hana (Muhl) brought off the bench tonight."
NEXT UP:
Manhattan returns to Draddy Gymnasium for one final time this season. The Jaspers play host to the Niagara Purple Eagles on Saturday, March 1, beginning at 2 p.m. The game will mark Senior Day, honoring a quartet of student-athletes. The contest can be viewed on ESPN+ with a paid subscription.