New Rochelle, N.Y. (January 14, 2006)?Toni Horvath and Tiara Headen both hit two foul shots in the game's final 10 seconds to help Iona squeak past the Lady Jaspers on Sunday afternoon, 59-55. The win gives Iona its fifth in a row, improving the Gaels' record to a perfect 6-0 in the MAAC and 11-6 overall. Manhattan drops to 4-12 overall and 1-5 in the MAAC.
After Headen knocked down her foul shots to give Iona a 57-53 lead, Manhattan's Michelle Pacheco raced down the court and converted a lay-up with four seconds left to make score 57-55. Pacheco quickly fouled Horvath, who calmly sunk her two shots to seal the win.
For the second time this season Manhattan had Iona, the MAAC's Preseason favorite, on the ropes. In the first meeting, the Lady Jaspers led 54-53 with just over seven minutes remaining, but a late Iona run gave the Gaels a 72-62 victory.
This time around, Manhattan jumped on Iona early. Annie McIntyre, who scored a career high 12 points, drilled four three-pointers in the game's first six minutes to help Manhattan to an early 23-16 advantage, their largest lead of the game. The home side though, was able to climb back into the game, getting to within 32-31 at halftime thanks to strong play from Martina Weber, who scored a game high 22 points.
Just as Manhattan came out strong to begin the game, Iona jumped on Manhattan to begin the second half, going off on a 16-4 run that gave the Gaels their largest lead of the game at 46-34. The visitors though staged a comeback, going on an 8-0 run of their own, highlighted by a Gabrielle Cottrell hitting a three as the shot clock expired that got the Lady Jaspers to within three points at 47-44.
Weber however, went back to work, scoring five of Iona's next seven points that pushed the Gaels' lead to back to five at 54-49. After Weber's foul shot with 5:32 remaining, the Lady Jaspers beared down defensively. Iona was shut out for nearly three minutes as Manhattan climbed to 54-53 with 1:26 remaining on a lay-up by Kelly Regan and two foul shots by Cottrell. After Headen missed a jumper with one minute remaining, Regan had a chance to put Manhattan in front but had her shot altered by Weber. The Lady Jaspers were then forced to begin fouling as Headen grabbed the rebound.
McIntyre was Manhattan's leading scorer with 12 points, while Pacheco was the only other Lady Jasper to score in double figures with 10.
The Lady Jaspers return to action this Tuesday night when they entertain Penn at Draddy Gym. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m.
