Riverdale, N.Y. (February 28, 2007)?With the regular season in the books, the Lady Jaspers now have their attention turned to the MAAC Tournament, with the ultimate goal of winning securing the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The journey to the field of 64 begins tomorrow in Bridgeport, Conn. with a first round match-up against Niagara University. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
Setting The Stage: Manhattan will look to make it four straight years with a win in the MAAC Tournament when they take the floor against Niagara Thursday at 2:00 p.m. Standing in their way is the 9th seeded Purple Eagles, who finished the season with a 68-62 win over Canisius, but lost five of seven games to close out the season. The two teams spilt during the regular season, with each team winning on the other's home floor. Niagara cruised to a 70-51 victory over the Lady Jaspers in Riverdale (1/8), with Sarah Wilson scoring 18 points. In the return game at Niagara (2/18), Annie McIntyre drilled a three-pointer with 0.6 seconds remaining to break a 67-67 tie, giving Manhattan the victory. Kelly Regan tied her career high with 22 points in the win.
Series History: Today's game is the 36th all-time meeting between the two squads, with Niagara holding a slim 17-18 edge. Niagara has won six of the last ten meetings in the series by an average of 14.6 points. Today's game is the first postseason meeting between the programs.
Manhattan's MAAC Tournament History: The Lady Jaspers have won four MAAC Tournaments (1987, 1990, 1996, 2003), and have the third most wins in MAAC Tournament history. Manhattan is 6-4 in its last 10 MAAC Tournament games, and 3-3 in the last three years.
Flood Named Third Team All-MAAC: Caitlin Flood capped off a terrific junior campaign with a Third Team All-MAAC selection, the conference announced on Monday. The 5-11 junior finished the regular season as Manhattan's leader in points, rebounds, and field goal percentage, and in the top 10 in the MAAC in all three statistical categories.
Give Her The Assist: Junior point Amanda LoCascio is averaging 6.25 assists over her last eight games. She handed out 10 assists at Fairfield (2/2) which 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 five more against Siena (2/25), giving her 50 assists over her last eight games. LoCascio is averaging 3.50 assists per game overall, which is fifth in the MAAC.
Don't Forget About Her: Though at times she may be overshadowed by Flood, Kelly Regan is just as important to Manhattan's fortunes. Regan had a strong close to the season, scoring double figures in four of the last five games, including 22 points at Niagara (2/18). Regan shot 68 percent in Manhattan's last three games, vaulting her shooting percentage up to .484 for the season, placing her sixth in the MAAC.
Follow The Game: Fans who cannot make it to Bridgeport can listen to the radio broadcast on gojaspers.com by clicking on the link in the schedule section on the main page of gojaspers.com. As always, Manhattan College Basketball Weekly host Ed Cohen and former Jasper player Brian Mahoney will be on commentary. Fans can also follow the proceedings via Gametracker by clicking on the appropriate link.
