Riverdale, N.Y. (January 16, 2007)?Taking a break from MAAC play, the Lady Jaspers will host the Penn Quakers tonight at Draddy Gymnasium for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off. After taking Iona down to the wire in their last game, Manhattan will play its final non-conference game of the season tonight before hitting the road this weekend for two crucial MAAC games.
Today's Game: The Lady Jaspers and Quakers get together tonight for the first ever meeting between the two programs, as Manhattan finishes its non-conference slate of games. The Lady Jaspers will be looking to get back on the winning track, while Penn snapped a five game losing streak and picked up its first Ivy League win with a 80-62 victory over Columbia last Saturday. Tonight's game is also the fourth home game in five contests for the Lady J's.
Last Time Out: For the second time this season, the Lady Jaspers gave Iona all they could handle, only to come up short in the end. Annie McIntyre sparked Manhattan's offense in the first half with four three-pointers, helping the Lady Jaspers to an early 23-16 lead, their largest of the game. Iona though took over the lead in the second half thanks to a 16-4 run to begin the half, grabbing their largest margin of the afternoon at 46-34. Manhattan fought back, and was able to climb back to within 54-53 with just over a minute to play after two Gabrielle Cottrell foul shots. Iona however was able to ice the win from the free throw line, knocking down five of six shots in the game's final 20 seconds for the 59-55 victory.
On the Horizon: After Manhattan concludes its non-conference schedule tonight, the Lady Jaspers' attention will shift squarely on the MAAC for the rest of the season. This weekend, Manhattan hits the road for two MAAC games, against last place Rider, and a rematch against Loyola in Baltimore.
For Starters: Freshman point guard Michelle Pacheco has been playing well recently, and was rewarded with her first two career starts Friday night against Loyola and Sunday against Iona. In 31 minutes vs. the Greyhounds, the Bronx native scored five points and handed out three assists. Against Iona, Pacheco scored 10 points on three of seven shooting. Prior to Friday, Pacheco scored nine and 11 points, her season high, against Marquette and Villanova.
Scouting Penn: Under the guidance of third year head coach Patrick Knapp, the Quakers are 5-9 this season and 1-2 in the Ivy League. Knapp has a 25-43 mark with Penn, counting this season and a 313-337 record over a 23 year career coming into this season. Knapp's career has seen him spend three seasons with New Mexico and 18 years with Georgetown before landing with the Quakers. On the road, Penn sports a 3-2 record overall, all of which has come against non-conference teams, and a 4-7 record overall against non-conference squads. Penn is tied for fourth with Dartmouth in the Ivy League in scoring offense, averaging 61.1 points per game. The Quakers are fourth in scoring defense, limiting teams to 66.8 ppg. On the glass, Penn ranks near the bottom of the Ivy League in rebounding margin with a -3.2 number. Finally, seniors Monica Nalter and Joey Rhoads are tied for second in the conference in scoring average, both dropping in 17.6 points per game.
Series History: Today's game is the first ever meeting between the two programs. Manhattan sports a 16-13 record all-time against Ivy League schools.
Follow The Game: For fans who cannot attend tonight's game, a link to the radio broadcast, featuring Ed Cohen on play-by-play and Brian Mahoney on color commentary will be available on the front page of gojaspers.com in the schedule section.
