Riverdale, N.Y. (January 13, 2006)?When the Lady Jaspers and Gaels tip-off Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. from the Hynes Athletic Center, it will be a battle of two teams headed in opposite directions. The Lady Jaspers are in the midst of a seven game losing streak, four of those losses coming in the MAAC. Iona, playing the third game of a four game home stand, are rolling, having won four games in a row and seven of eight overall.
The Match-up: Local rivals Manhattan and Iona meet this afternoon at the Hynes Athletic Center as the teams renew acquaintances. The Lady Jaspers are looking to snap a seven game losing streak, and a four game losing steak in the MAAC. Iona, on the other hand is rolling. The Gales are in first place in the MAAC and undefeated in conference play. Iona has won four games in a row and seven of eight overall. Despite the difference in records, Manhattan played Iona tough last Saturday in Riverdale, leading for a good portion of the game, before Iona pulled away late with a 18-9 run for a 72-62 win.
Last Time Out: Loyola College defeated Manhattan for the fifth straight time Friday night at Draddy Gym. The loss meant Manhattan finished its three game home stand winless at 0-3. Manhattan tied the score at eight a piece on a three-pointer by Caitlin Flood, but a basket by Loyola on the following possession gave the Greyhounds the lead for good. Manhattan used a 10-0 run late in the game to trim Loyola's lead to 10, but the visitors would not let the Lady Jaspers get any closer the rest of the way. Jill Glessner scored 19 points, leading a balanced Greyhounds attack, while Caitlin Flood scored a career high 22 points for Manhattan in the loss.
On the Horizon: Following this afternoon's contest, Manhattan returns to Riverdale for its final non-conference game of the season against Penn. Later in the week, the Lady Jaspers return to MAAC play on the road against Rider and Loyola.
Last Year's Series: Iona swept the season series from Manhattan last year, edging Manhattan 71-68 in New Rochelle in the first meeting. In that contest, Martina Weber and Tiara Headen led the way for the Gaels with 26 and 21 points respectively, while Lupe Godinez paced Manhattan with 16 points. In the rematch, Iona emerged victorious 74-64 behind 56 percent shooting and 19 points from Weber. Joann Nwafili was Manhattan's leading scorer with 16 points.
Series History: Manhattan leads the all-time series 37-17 dating back to the 1979-80 season. Iona has won four games in a row, but the Lady Jaspers own six wins in the past ten games going back to 2001-02 season.
This Year's Meeting: Manhattan played a strong game against the Gaels, but came up just a little bit short in this season's first meeting between the two rivals. Manhattan led at the break 32-29, but Iona rallied in the second half for the win. After Manhattan took the lead 54-53 on a Kelly Regan lay-up, Iona seized the lead for good on a three-pointer by Tiara Headen with 7:27 to play. Headen's shot was the start of a 18-9 run that put the game away.
Fantastic Flood: Caitlin Flood has continued her stellar season on this home stand, making a push to be named First Team All-MAAC. The junior scored 22 points, equaling her career high against Loyola on Friday. On the first two games of the home stand flood scored 20 points against Iona on 1/6, then did herself one better with a 21 point performance against Niagara, Flood also hit the boards, grabbing a career high 14 rebounds against the Purple Eagles. For the three games, Flood totaled 63 points and 26 rebounds.
Follow The Game: Fans who cannot attend the game can follow the link at the top of the page, or can click on the icon in the schedule section, both of which will link to Iona's radio broadcast.
