Elmira, N.Y. - In the opening game of the St. Bona Shootout, a weekend tournament held in Elmira, N.Y. the Lady Jaspers dropped the opener 61-45 to the University at Buffalo. Manhattan (1-2) struggled from the field in the second half, as the Bulls (1-2) gradually pulled away for the win.
Manhattan trailed 29-28 at halftime, but were done in by shooting just 20 percent in the second half as Buffalo outscored the Lady Jaspers 32-17 in the second frame. UB's Belinda Gibb led all scorers with 17 points, while freshman Jenna Franciosa and Gabrielle Cottrell led Manhattan with 10 points each.
With Manhattan leading 17-16, the Bulls went on a 9-1 run to take a seven point lead with 6:36 left in the half. However, Manhattan answered back with a 7-0 run over the next three minutes, punctuated by a Cottrell field goal. The run came at a cost as Caitlin Flood picked up her third foul, prior to that point Flood had been very effective in the paint, scoring eight points.
In the second half, the Bulls raced out in front, using a 14-5 run to put themselves up 10 with Gibb scoring five points during the stretch. Amanda LoCascio's three-pointer in the midst of the run would be Manhattan's last field goal for over 12 minutes.
Franciosa's bucket to break the streak with 4:52 left cut Buffalo's lead to eight at 49-41, however that would be as close as the Lady Jaspers would get the rest of the way.
Manhattan came into the game short-handed, with starter Aubrie Dellinger out because of a sprained wrist suffered during practice. Two of Manhattan's regulars, Flood and Kelly Regan, saw their playing time diminished due to foul trouble.
The Lady Jaspers return to action tomorrow at First Arena when they take on Columbia University. Tip-off is scheduled for noon.
