Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. ? Everything went right for the Manhattan College women's basketball team on Sunday afternoon. The Lady Jaspers (3-6, 1-1 MAAC) led from the start and never took their feet off the gas pedal, rolling to a 73-50 victory over Saint Peter's (2-4, 0-2 MAAC) at Draddy Gymnasium. Michelle Pacheco (Bronx, N.Y.) tied her career-high with 19 points to lead four Lady Jaspers in double figures, and Nicole Harrison (Falls Church, Va.) set a career-high with 13 points off the bench.
“Everything came together today,” Head Coach Myndi Hill said. “It was really important that we didn't let Friday night affect us, and our upperclassmen did a nice job making sure that was the case. This was a big win to get even in conference play, and now we have some time to work on things before the bulk of the conference schedule resumes in January.”
The Peahens scored the opening basket of the game, but Manhattan gained the lead on a three-pointer by Alyssa Herrington (Cambridge, N.Y.) 2:10 in and never relinquished it. Saint Peter's scored just four points over the first 8:33 of the game, allowing the Lady Jaspers to build a 10-point lead. After a Pacheco free throw made it 14-4, the Peahens went on a 6-0 rally to cut Manhattan's lead to four and prompt Hill to call a timeout.
Herrington drained a trey out of the timeout to ignite a 14-4 Manhattan rally that made the score 28-14 with 2:26 remaining before halftime. Saint Peter's scored the next four points to cut the lead to 10, but Pacheco nailed a jumper with six seconds left in the period to give the Lady Jaspers a 30-18 halftime lead.
Saint Peter's cut the lead to nine, 36-27, early in the second half before Manhattan went on a 22-8 run over the next 9:08 to put the game out of reach. The advantage reached a game-high 23 points when Kelly Regan (Williamsville, N.Y.) stepped back and drained a three from the left wing to make it 58-35 at the 8:45 mark. Manhattan's lead hovered around the 20-point mark for the remainder of the contest, as the closest Saint Peter's was able to come was within 17 points. Annie McIntyre (Portland, Ore.), who had been scoreless in the game until that point, sank a trey as the shot clock would down with 12 seconds left to finish off the 73-50 victory.
Pacheco had six assists and three steals to go along with her game-high 19 points. Regan had 16 points, while Herrington tallied 13 points on 4-for-10 shooting from three-point range and added four rebounds and four assists. In addition to her 13 points, Harrison tied her career bests with five rebounds and four assists. Abby Wentworth (Portland, Maine) registered nine points and grabbed a game-high six rebounds. Manhattan shot a season-high .481 (25-of-52) from the field and collected a season-high 21 assists on 25 made baskets. The Lady Jaspers shot 40 percent (8-of-20) from three-point land and 75 percent (15-of-20) at the free throw line.
“It's good to see that we got to the free throw line today,” Hill said. “That had been an issue we'd discussed. I was happy to see our guards take the initiative and do what it takes to draw fouls.”
Jamie Smith was the only Peahen in double figures with 10 points. Tania Kennedy, a Preseason First Team All-MAAC selection, was held to nine points and four assists, as Saint Peter's had just eight assists on 19 field goals. Adenike Oyesile pulled down a team-best five rebounds, as the Peahens outrebounded the Lady Jaspers 34-31. Saint Peter's shot 35.2 percent (19-of-54) as a team, including 33.3 percent (3-of-9) from downtown, and 75 percent (9-of-12) at the charity stripe.
With the win, Manhattan finished its season-long four-game homestand with a 2-2 record. The Lady Jaspers now have a week off for final exams before resuming non-conference play at Stony Brook on Monday, Dec. 15. Manhattan doesn't return to Draddy Gymnasium until a 2 p.m. showdown with Army on Dec. 30.
NOTES: Saint Peter's is the most common opponent in program history...This was the 65th all-time meeting between the schools...The Peahens lead the all-time series 49-16...With the victory, Manhattan avoided its first 0-2 MAAC start since 2003-04...Harrison's previous career-high was seven points against Marist on Jan. 13, 2008, while Pacheco also had 19 points in the season-opener at St. Francis (NY)...The Lady Jaspers sank eight three-pointers as a team for the third straight game and the fourth time this season...After using a different starting lineup in each of the previous four games, Manhattan used the same starting five as Friday night against Saint Peter's.