Riverdale, N.Y. (January 12, 2007)?When the Lady Jaspers and Loyola College tip-off tonight in Draddy Gymnasium, Manhattan will be looking to end several streaks. The Green & White will seek to end a five game losing streak overall, and will look to break a streak of four straight losses to the Greyhounds. Manhattan will also be out to extract revenge on Loyola for last year's season ending loss in the second round of the MAAC Tournament.
Today's Game: The Lady Jaspers and Greyhounds meet tonight in the fourth MAAC contest for both clubs. Manhattan comes in looking to snap a five game losing streak, and break a string of seven losses in eight games that began with a loss at Fordham on November 29th. Manhattan's 1-3 MAAC record currently has them in 8th in the MAAC. Loyola comes in with a record of 7-7 and 2-2 in the MAAC, good for 5th in the conference. In their last game, the Greyhounds had their three game winning streak snapped by Fairfield at home last Monday, 57-54.
Last Time Out: The Lady Jaspers were handed their fifth straight loss and second straight home loss by Niagara last Monday. The Purple Eagles shot 53.3 percent from the field in the first half, en route to a 34-18 halftime advantage that proved to be too much for the Lady Jaspers to overcome. Manhattan got to within 13 points with four minutes remaining, at 62-49 on the heels of consecutive three-pointers by Gabrielle Cottrell, but the Lady J's could not get any closer. Caitlin Flood scored a season high 21 points, and grabbed a career high 14 rebounds. Sarah Wilson, with 18 points, was one of four Purple Eagles to score in double figures.
On the Horizon: After Manhattan concludes its three game home stand tonight, they make the short trek up to New Rochelle for a rematch with the Gales. Following Sunday's game, the Green & White return home for its final non-conference game of the season against Penn.
Fantastic Flood: Junior Caitlin Flood has continued her stellar season on this home stand, making a push to be named First Team All-MAAC. Flood scored a season high 20 points against Iona on 1/6, then did herself one better with a 21 point performance against Niagara, just one point off her career high of 22 points. Flood also hit the boards, grabbing a career high 14 rebounds against the Purple Eagles.
Breaking Out: Freshman point guard and Bronx native Michelle Pacheco has come on recently and has seen an increase in playing time. The John F. Kennedy High product has played well in three of Manhattan's last four games. The diminutive guard scored 9 and 11 points respectively against Big East teams Marquette and Villanova. The last two games, Pacheco handed out four assists against Iona, and scored nine points against Niagara.
Scouting Loyola: Under the guidance of second year head coach Joe Logan, the Greyhounds are an even 7-7 this season and 2-2 in the MAAC. Loyola has played well on the road, posting a 5-3 record away from home and 1-1 in the MAAC. Loyola's best player so far this season has been Jill Glessner, the MAAC's second leading scorer, averaging 15.1 points per game. The Greyhounds also feature the conference's third leading rebounder, Meghan Wood, who pulls down 6.9 rpg.
Series History: Today's game is the 35th all-time meeting between the two programs, dating back to the 1990-91 meeting. Manhattan won the initial meeting 83-44, and swept that first season series by winning the second game 67-55. Loyola has won the last four games in the series, including a victory over the Lady Jaspers in the second round of last year's MAAC Tournament which ended Manhattan's season. Loyola has won six of the last 10 meetings.
