Riverdale, N.Y. (February 11, 2007)?The Lady Jaspers will be making their second TV appearance of the season Sunday afternoon when they welcome in Saint Peter's to Draddy Gymnasium for a 12:00 p.m. tip-off. Manhattan will be looking to avenge an earlier season loss to Saint Peter's, and close out their three game home stand with a win.
Today's Game: The Lady Jaspers will be looking to split the season series with Saint Peter's when they welcome in the Peahens to Draddy Gym this afternoon. With just five MAAC games remaining in the regular season, both teams will be looking for a key MAAC win to help improve their positions for the MAAC Tournament which begins in three weeks. Both Manhattan and Saint Peter's are coming off losses, the Lady Jaspers fell at home to Fairfield on Friday 59-49, while Saint Peter's lost on the road to Loyola 72-61.
Last Time Out: The Lady Jaspers shot over 57 percent in the first half against Fairfield, but struggled in the second half as the Stags rallied for a 59-49 win. Manhattan knocked down nine of their first 14 shots and led 22-12 midway through the first half. But Fairfield got to within 37-36 at halftime, and took the lead at 45-43 on a basket by Tara Flaherty with just under 10 minutes to play. After Manhattan's Vanessa Davison tied the score at 45, the Stags went on a 14-4 run to close out the game and pickup the win.
On the Horizon: Following this afternoon's game, Manhattan hits the road for the final time this season as they travel up to Western New York to play Canisius and Niagara. After returning home, the Lady Jaspers close out the regular season with games against Rider and Siena.
Nwafili Out For The Year: The Lady Jaspers suffered a tough blow on December 13th when the team learned that guard Joann Nwafili would be lost for the year with a torn ACL. The junior suffered the injury in the second half of Manhattan's 52-42 victory at Siena. Up to this point in the season, Nwafili was averaging 6.8 points per game and was second on team in rebounds per game with 4.8, while starting every game for the Green & White. The injury caused Nwafili to miss a game for the first time since her freshmen year.
Hurting Lady Jaspers: To compound Nwafili's injury, the Lady Jaspers have been bitten by the injury bug this season. Including her injury, which has forced her to miss 16 games so far, six other players have combined to miss 28 games due to a variety of aliments, bringing the total to 44 games with Nwafili's injury. Only four players have suited up for every game, Caitlin Flood, Kelly Regan, Gabrielle Cottrell, and Jenna Franciosa.
Give Her The Assist: Amanda LoCascio's 10 assists at Fairfield (2/2) was a career high, and the first time a Lady Jasper has had more than 10 assists in a game since Donnette Reed handed out 13 against Iona on 12/2/04. LoCascio dished out eight more assists against Fairfield (2/9), giving her 23 in the last three games. Averaging just over three assists a game, LoCascio ranks eight in the MAAC in that category
Series History: Today's game is the 61st all-time meeting between the two programs, making the Peahens Manhattan's second most played opponent. Saint Peter's has dominated the series, holding a 48-12 advantage
Series Facts: Saint Peter's swept last year's series against Manhattan, and with the Peahens' win on 1/29, Saint Peter's has won three in a row against Manhattan... Manhattan has won six of ten overall in the series by an average of 9.3 points... The Lady Jaspers are 3-2 in the last five games played at home against Saint Peter's, with the average margin of victory being 11.6 points... The first ever meeting between the two teams took place during the 1978-79 season, which Saint Peter's won 62-47.
Follow The Game: Fans who cannot make it to the game can follow the action live on RNN. If you do not receive RNN, the game will be broadcast on gojaspers.com with Ed Cohen and Brian Mahoney on commentary.
