Manhattan University Athletics

RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Going into Sunday's game, the Manhattan College women's basketball team hadn't beaten Marist since Jan. 9, 2004, a span of 14 contests.  Senior Michelle Pacheco (Bronx, N.Y.) had been 0-8 against the Red Foxes in her career.  But on Senior Day at Draddy Gymnasium, her final home game in a Manhattan uniform, Pacheco made sure both of those streaks would come to an end.  She scored a career-high 28 points and didn't commit a turnover to lead the Lady Jaspers (15-14, 10-8 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) to a 65-62 victory over the regular season champion Red Foxes (23-7, 15-3 MAAC) in Manhattan's regular season finale.  With the victory, the Lady Jaspers clinched the No. 4 seed in next weekend's MAAC Championships.

"Michelle couldn't have played any better," Head Coach John Olenowski said.  "I'm extremely happy for her and for the team."

In an instant classic that featured 13 ties and six lead changes, Marist made eight of its first nine shots to jump out to an 18-9 lead at the 12:31 mark of the first half.  However, Pacheco responded with back-to-back three-pointers to pull the Lady Jaspers within three, 18-15, with 11:46 left in the half.  The Red Foxes pushed their lead back to five points when a Rachele Fitz layup made it 22-17 with 10:19 remaining before halftime before Manhattan rallied back with seven straight points and took a 24-22 lead on a trey by Kerri White (Flushing, N.Y.) at the 6:25 mark.

Fitz drained a pair of free throws to tie the game, but Abby Wentworth (Portland, Maine) drained a trey on the Lady Jaspers' next possession to give the lead back to Manhattan, 27-24.  Marist scored the next four points to regain the lead, and the sides traded baskets before Nadia Peters (Bronx, N.Y.) hit a pair of free throws at the end of the half to give the Lady Jaspers a 31-30 edge at intermission.

Marist opened the second half the same way it began the first, making six of its first eight shots to open up an 11-point advantage, 46-35, with 15:24 remaining.  After Olenowski took a timeout, the Lady Jaspers responded with a 10-1 run to get back within two, 47-45, at the 12:07 mark.  Kristine Best sank a three on Marist's next possession to increase the Red Foxes' lead to five points before a 7-0 Manhattan rally put the Lady Jaspers back in front, 52-50.

Best, Pacheco and Corielle Yarde traded three-pointers on the next three possessions of the game before Wentworth went 1-for-2 at the line to make it a 56-56 game with 5:20 remaining.  The back-and-forth play continued, as Marist claimed a 58-56 lead on a Kate Oliver layup before a Lindsey Loutsenhizer (North Huntingdon, Pa.) put Manhattan back in front.  After Oliver hit a pair of foul shots to give the lead back to the Red Foxes with 3:36 remaining, a jumper by Pacheco gave the lead back to the Lady Jaspers.  It remained 61-60 until the 43-second mark, when Pacheco made a steal, then drove down for a layup to increase Manhattan's lead to three points, 63-60.  Best hit a jumper on the other end to bring Marist back within one, then the Red Foxes took a timeout.

Marist fouled Pacheco on the inbounds play, but she missed the front end of the one-and-one and Fitz grabbed the rebound.  Erica Allenspach missed a jumper with 24 seconds left and Pacheco secured the rebound, but Marist forced a tie-up and had the possession arrow, giving the ball back to the Red Foxes with 20 seconds left.  Marist tried to hold for one shot, but Manhattan got it back when Oliver traveled with 10 seconds remaining.  Loutsenhizer hit a pair of free throws to increase the lead to three, 65-62.  After Marist took its final timeout, Best's attempt at the game-tying three fell well short, giving Manhattan the victory.

"It's important that we didn't give up (after going down 11)," Olenowski said.  "Our pressure defense is very good and we press well, which gives us the opportunity to come back if we get some turnovers."

Pacheco went 11-for-24 from the field and tied a career-high with four three-pointers in the contest.  She also had three assists and two steals.  Loutsenhizer added 14 points and five rebounds, while Peters tallied 10 points, three steals and two blocks.  White registered five points and five boards, and Schyanne Halfkenny (Hyde Park, Mass.) grabbed five rebounds off the bench, as the Lady Jaspers outrebounded the Red Foxes 34-31, including a 14-9 edge on the offensive glass.  Manhattan shot 38.6 percent (22-of-57) from the field, 42.1 percent (8-of-19) from downtown, and 72.2 percent (13-of-18) at the line.

Fitz finished with 17 points and seven rebounds to lead the Red Foxes.  Best added 17 points and three assists, while Oliver chipped in with 12 points.  Yarde tallied eight points, seven rebounds and five assists.  Allenspach also had eight points and five assists for Marist.  The Red Foxes shot 43.1 percent (22-of-51) from the field, including 41.2 percent (7-of-17) from three-point range, and 78.6 percent (11-of-14) at the charity stripe.

"This win gives us a ton of confidence," Olenowski said.  "It also shows that we can make some noise in the (MAAC) Tournament."

Fairfield knocked off Canisius on Sunday, meaning Manhattan will be the No. 4 seed in the MAAC Tournament.  The Lady Jaspers' quarterfinal matchup with fifth-seeded Niagara (12-17, 9-9 MAAC) is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Friday at the Times Union Center in Albany.  Live video of the game will be available on the MAAC's official website, www.maacsports.com, while a live audio broadcast can be heard at www.gojaspers.com.