Box Score
FAIRFIELD, Conn. ? For the second straight game, the Manhattan College women's basketball team held the lead at halftime. For the second straight game, the Lady Jaspers (6-14, 3-6 MAAC) saw their opponent use a big second half run to pull away for the win. Fairfield (12-8, 7-2 MAAC) went on a 16-0 rally midway through the second half to open up a 21-point lead en route to a 70-51 victory in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action at Alumni Hall on Sunday afternoon.
The first half featured five ties and three lead changes, and neither team was able to take a lead greater than five points during the first 20 minutes. Fairfield opened up an 11-6 advantage on a three-pointer by Lauren Groom, but Manhattan got a three-pointer from Alyssa Herrington (Cambridge, N.Y.) and a layup by Abby Wentworth (Portland, Maine) to tie the game at 11-11 with 12:31 left in the half.
Groom sank a trey to give the Stags a 27-22 lead with 4:39 remaining before halftime, prompting a Manhattan timeout. Following the timeout, the Lady Jaspers ended the half on a 7-0 run. Lindsey Loutsenhizer (North Huntingdon, Pa.) hit a jumper to cut Fairfield's lead to three before Laura Rivera (Elmont, N.Y.) sank a trey to tie the game at 27-27. Kelly Regan's (Williamsville, N.Y.) jumper at the 1:17 mark gave the Lady Jaspers a 29-27 halftime lead.
Fairfield scored the first six points of the second half to take a four-point lead, but Herrington responded with a trey to cut the Stags' lead to one, 33-32. Fairfield increased its lead to six points at 42-36 before another Herrington three-pointer cut Manhattan's deficit to three with 11:40 remaining. After a Michelle Pacheco (Bronx, N.Y.) jumper made it 45-41 at the 10:08 mark, the Stags went on a 16-0 run over the next 4:44 to increase their lead to 21 points, 62-41. Manhattan finally ended the rally on a Regan jumper and Herrington's fifth trey of the game cut the Lady Jaspers' deficit to 17 points, 66-49, with 2:39 remaining. Fairfield got a pair of layups before Nicole Harrison (Falls Church, Va.) hit a jumper to round out the scoring.
Herrington was the only Manhattan player in double figures with 17 points, including five three-pointers. Wentworth chipped in with eight points, a team-high six rebounds and three steals. Rivera played a career-high 25 minutes off the bench and tallied career-highs with five points, three rebounds and a team-leading three assists. Manhattan shot 40 percent (22-of-55) from the field and 41.2 percent (7-of-17) from three-point range. The Lady Jaspers went 0-for-7 at the free throw line.
Baendu Lowenthal posted a game-high 20 points and added eight rebounds for the Stags. Groom finished with 16 points and Shireyll Moore added 11 points, all in the second half. Stephanie Geehan had nine rebounds, two steals and four blocks to go along with seven points. Megan Caskin dished out a team-high four assists. The Stags shot 49.1 percent (28-of-57) from the field and outrebounded the Lady Jaspers 37-34. Fairfield shot 57.1 percent (4-of-7) from downtown and 62.5 percent (10-of-16) at the charity stripe.
The Lady Jaspers continue their three-game road trip on Friday night, when they head to Poughkeepsie for a 7:30 p.m. showdown with No. 20 Marist. The first-place Red Foxes (18-2, 9-1 MAAC) are the three-time defending MAAC champions and have beaten Manhattan 11 straight times.
NOTES: Fairfield is the most common opponent in program history...The Stags now lead the all-time series 36-31 and have won four straight over the Lady Jaspers...The Lady Jaspers used a different starting lineup for the fifth straight game, with Herrington returning to the starting five after coming off the bench in the previous four games...Manhattan failed to make a free throw for the first time in Myndi Hill's six-year tenure as head coach...Rivera's previous career-highs were three points at Niagara (Jan. 16), two assists at Portland State (Dec. 21) and 20 minutes at Canisius (Jan. 18)...The coaching staffs of both teams wore upside-down pink ribbons and a moment of silence was observed in honor of N.C. State Head Coach Kay Yow, who passed away from breast cancer on Saturday morning.