Click here to view the 2011-12 Manhattan College Women's Basketball Yearbook
RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Lindsey Loutsenhizer (North Huntingdon, Pa.) tallied a game-high 20 points to move into sixth place on the Manhattan College women's basketball team's all-time scoring list, but it was not enough for the Jaspers (12-12, 6-6 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) on Friday night, as Niagara (9-16, 6-7 MAAC) ended Manhattan's three-game winning streak with a 61-55 victory at Draddy Gymnasium.
The contest was back-and-forth throughout, as there were seven ties and 14 lead changes. Niagara opened up an early 8-4 advantage before the Jaspers got three straight three-pointers from Monica Roeder (Marlton, N.J.) to go in front 13-10. Niagara scored the next six points to regain the lead before a three ball from Nicole Isaacs (Fair Haven, N.J.) tied it at 16-16 midway through the first half.
However, the Purple Eagles responded with a 9-4 rally to build a five-point cushion, 25-20, at the 4:07 mark. Loutsenhizer followed with back-to-back treys, putting the Jaspers in front by one, 26-25. A layup by Shy Britton gave the lead back to Niagara with 37 seconds left before halftime, but Schyanne Halfkenny (Hyde Park, N.Y.) drained a pair of free throws 15 seconds later to give Manhattan the one-point edge, 27-26, at the half.
Niagara started the second half on a 10-4 run to regain the lead, 36-31, but an Alyssa Herrington (Cambridge, N.Y.) trey, then five straight points by Loutsenhizer put the Jaspers back in front, 39-36, with 14:17 to go. The Purple Eagles countered with a 9-2 rally to take a 45-41 lead before Manhattan tallied five straight points to regain a one-point advantage, 46-45, with 6:43 remaining. That would be the Jaspers' last lead of the night, though, as a Lauren Gatto layup on the other end put Niagara in front for good.
The Purple Eagles extended their advantage to six points at 52-46 before Herrington drained a three-pointer to cut the Jaspers' deficit in half at the 3:21 mark. After a Gatto basket, Roeder nailed a three ball to bring Manhattan within two, 54-52, with 1:56 left. Niagara increased its lead to five on a three-pointer by Meghan McGuinness with 41 seconds remaining. After a pair of Manhattan misses, the Purple Eagles went 4-for-4 at the free throw line to increase their lead to nine, 61-52, with 15 seconds left. Loutsenhizer then drained a late trey to account for the final points in the Jaspers' 61-55 defeat.
"I thought that for the most part, we did a decent job defensively," Head Coach John Olenowski said. "We had a few good stops down the stretch, but it seems like they (Niagara) hit the big basket at the key time in the game. That was the big key in my estimation."
Loutsenhizer went 8-for-12 from the field and also collected a team-high six rebounds. She added five assists and four steals. Roeder drained four three-pointers to finish with 12 points, while Herrington notched nine points and a season-high six assists. As a team, the Jaspers sank 12 treys, one shy of their season-high, and shot 42.9 percent (12-of-28) from downtown. Manhattan shot 33.9 percent (20-of-59) from the field and 50 percent (3-of-6) at the line.
Kayla Stroman led four Purple Eagles in double figures with 14 points. She also had five rebounds and six assists. Chanel Johnson added 13 points and five rebounds, while Gatto tallied 12 points and six boards. Britton recorded six rebounds and two blocks, and Ali Morris grabbed five boards to go along with three assists. Niagara shot 47.8 percent (22-of-46) from the field and outrebounded Manhattan 38-25. The Purple Eagles shot 50 percent (7-of-14) from three-point land and 71.4 percent (10-of-14) at the charity stripe.
Manhattan plays four of its last six regular season games on the road, starting with a 1 p.m. matchup at Rider (10-14, 2-11 MAAC) on Sunday. The Jaspers defeated the Broncs 59-45 at Draddy Gymnasium on Jan. 2.
NOTES: It was the first meeting of the season between the Jaspers and Purple Eagles...The Jaspers lead the all-time series 24-22...Loutsenhizer, who passed Manhattan College Athletic Hall of Famer Marianne Reilly on the all-time scoring list on Friday, now has 1,311 career points...She became one of just six players in program history with at least 1,300 career points and 700 career rebounds, joining Sheila Tighe, Rosalee Mason, Gina Somma, Stacey Jack and Reilly...It was Loutsenhizer's second 20-point game of the season, and her first since tallying 21 at Army on Nov. 23...The Jaspers used a different starting lineup for the third time in as many games and the 11th time this season...Manhattan committed a season-low eight turnovers in the game.
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