RIVERDALE, N.Y. - In each of the last two games, both wins, the Manhattan College women's basketball team used shut down defense to hold Fordham and Rider each under 50 points. On Tuesday night, Iona figured out that Manhattan defense, as the Gaels (5-8, 1-1 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) tallied 79 points in a 79-62 victory over the Lady Jaspers (6-7, 1-1 MAAC) at Draddy Gymnasium.
"Iona did the things they had to do," Head Coach John Olenowski said. "They did a great job reversing and hit their shots. It becomes tough when you're not shooting well and playing a good team that is."
Iona never trailed in the game, breaking open a 2-2 tie with an 11-4 run that made it 13-6 at the 13:04 mark. Lindsey Loutsenhizer (North Huntingdon, Pa.) drained a trey on Manhattan's next possession to pull the Lady Jaspers within four, but that's as close as Manhattan would get the rest of the way. Iona's lead reached 16 points, the largest margin of the first half, when a pair of Thazina Cook free throws made it 39-23 with 1:08 remaining in the half, and the Gaels had a 41-26 advantage at intermission. Iona shot a stellar 51.7 percent (15-of-29) from the field in the first half. Despite shooting just 26.1 percent (6-of-23) from the field, Manhattan was still in the game thanks to 83.3 percent (10-of-12) free throw shooting in the half.
After the Gaels extended their lead to a game-high 25 points, 57-32, with 12:44 remaining, Michelle Pacheco (Bronx, N.Y.) was fouled while sinking a three-pointer, then drained the free throw to complete the four-point play. That play sparked a 21-6 run that brought the Lady Jaspers back within six, 63-53, with 5:00 left. However, Iona responded with a 13-3 rally to run its lead back to 20 points, 76-56, with 2:27 to play. Consecutive Pacheco treys got Manhattan back within 14 before Iona scored the final three points to wrap up a 79-62 victory.
Pacheco led the Lady Jaspers in scoring for the fifth straight game, tallying 18 points and draining a career-high four three-pointers. She also had five assists and five steals. Loutsenhizer came off the bench for the third straight game and chipped in 15 points, while Nadia Peters (Bronx, N.Y.) tallied eight points, all at the free throw line, and grabbed a team-high five rebounds. Alyssa Herrington (Cambridge, N.Y.) also had eight points, and Abby Wentworth (Portland, Maine) tied a career-high with five assists. As a team, Manhattan shot 32 percent (16-of-50) from the field and 36.4 percent (8-of-22) from downtown. The Lady Jaspers also shot a season-high 88.0 percent (22-of-25) at the charity stripe.
Cook, a Preseason First Team All-MAAC selection who was returning from an injury that kept her out of Iona's last four games, tallied a game-high 20 points, including the 1,000th of her career. Cook also grabbed six rebounds for the Gaels. Kristina Ford and Anna McLean each had 14 points and seven boards for Iona, while Diana Hubbard added 11 points. Suzi Fregosi distributed eight assists. As a team, the Gaels shot a blistering 54.7 percent (29-of-53) from the field, including a solid 50 percent (8-of-16) from three-point land, and 72.2 percent (13-of-18) at the line. Iona had a distinct size advantage and used it to outscore the Lady Jaspers 26-4 in the paint. The Gaels also outrebounded the Lady Jaspers 41-22 and had an 8-1 edge in blocks.
The contest concluded Manhattan's season-long five-game homestand. Up next, the Lady Jaspers hit the road for three straight, starting with their annual trip to Western New York this weekend. Manhattan visits Niagara (3-10, 0-2 MAAC) at 2 p.m. on Saturday, then heads to Canisius (5-8, 0-2 MAAC) for an 11 a.m. matchup on Monday.
NOTES: It was the 60th all-time meeting between the teams...Manhattan now leads the all-time series 40-20...The Lady Jaspers dropped a night game for the first time this season...Manhattan had been 4-0 at night previously...Pacheco had made just three three-pointers all season (and seven in her career) entering the game...Wentworth tallied five assists for the fifth time in her career, and the first time this season...Herrington tied Aubrie Dellinger for sixth place on the all-time list with 106 career three-pointers...Peters sank a career-best eight free throws and had the most successful attempts without a miss in a game in her career...The Lady Jaspers' next six games are afternoon contests.
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