2012-13 Manhattan Women's Basketball Yearbook
RIVERDALE, N.Y. - One year after pulling off a shocker, ending perennial Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) power Marist's 34-game winning streak against conference opponents in front of a national audience on ESPN3, the Manhattan College women's basketball team's showdown with the Red Foxes at Draddy Gymnasium on Friday afternoon was again featured as the "MAAC National Game of the Week" on ESPN3. For a while, it looked like it might happen again, but Marist (12-6, 7-0 MAAC) used a 19-2 second-half run to pull away for a 60-39 victory over the Jaspers (5-13, 2-5 MAAC).
The Jaspers came out on fire, scoring the first eight points of the game, as Ashley Stec (Cazenovia, N.Y.) drained a pair of treys and Allison Skrec (Roselle, N.J.) sank a layup in the opening three minutes. Marist responded with eight points of its own to tie the score before a Toni-Ann Lawrence (Elmont, N.Y.) jumper at the 8:43 mark put Manhattan back in front, 10-8.
After Lawrence hit a free throw to give the Jaspers a 13-10 advantage, the Red Foxes rallied for the next four points to take their first lead of the game, 14-13, with 3:48 remaining before halftime. However, Manhattan immediately countered, as Lawrence nailed a jumper 29 seconds later to regain the lead.
It would remain 15-14 until the 1:52 mark, when Elizabeth Beynnon's layup started a 7-0 Marist run that gave the Red Foxes a 21-15 cushion. Monica Roeder (Marlton, N.J.) sank a jumper with 46 seconds remaining in the half to cut Manhattan's deficit to four, 21-17, then a three-pointer by Nicole Isaacs (Fair Haven, N.J.) pulled the Jaspers within one, 21-20, at intermission.
"We were confident coming into the game," Head Coach John Olenowski said. "We know what a great team Marist is, but the girls' mentality is that 'we won't back down to anybody.' In the first half, we had great energy on the defensive end, and I thought we ran our offensive sets a little bit better."
Marist extended its lead to five points early in the second half before Roeder sank a trey to again make it a two-point game, 25-23, with 18:00 to go. However, Manhattan would be held to just one field goal over the next 8:30, as the Red Foxes went on a 19-2 rally over that span to open up a 44-25 advantage.
Isaacs scored eight straight points for the Jaspers to pull Manhattan within 13 at 48-35 with 5:59 remaining, but Marist rallied for the next 12 points to increase its cushion to 25 points, 60-35, with under a minute left. The Jaspers got a layup from Roeder and a pair of free throws from Ondya Morgan (New Brunswick, N.J.) to finish off the scoring in the 60-39 defeat. It was Marist's 17th straight MAAC win since the loss at Draddy Gymnasium last season.
"They (Marist) got a couple quick baskets in transition (in the second half)," Olenowski said, "and we couldn't match those transition baskets. Those baskets actually led to three-point plays since we fouled them twice. I felt that turned the momentum in their favor. It's really hard to come back when you get down double-digits against a good basketball team."
Isaacs paced the Jaspers with 11 points, while Stec tallied 10 points and a career-best four steals. Roeder finished with nine points, and Lawrence contributed a game-high seven rebounds to go along with three steals. Skrec handed out three assists for the Jaspers, who shot 31.3 percent (15-of-48) from the field. Manhattan went 6-for-16 (37.5 percent) from long range and 3-for-4 (75 percent) at the charity stripe.
Emma O'Connor had a game-high 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting. She also posted six rebounds and three assists. Beynnon added 16 points, six boards and three steals, while Casey Dulin contributed six rebounds. Leanne Ockenden, Kristine Best and Kristina Danella each distributed three assists for Marist. As a team, the Red Foxes shot 36.4 percent (20-of-55) from the field and outrebounded the Jaspers 42-29. Marist shot 23.8 percent (5-of-21) from three-point land and 71.4 percent (15-of-21) at the free throw line.
The Jaspers wrap up their two-game homestand with a 2 p.m. matchup against Saint Peter's (0-18, 0-7 MAAC) on Sunday. Manhattan opened conference play with a 73-66 victory over the Peacocks in Jersey City on Jan. 3.
NOTES: Manhattan leads the all-time series 23-21...Marist has won 56 of its last 58 games against MAAC foes, with the only two losses during that span coming at Draddy Gymnasium (2010, 2012)...The seven blocks tied Manhattan's season-high, and Roeder's three rejections were a career-best...Isaacs was the Jaspers' leading scorer for the first time in her career...Manhattan's home game against Marist was the "MAAC National Game of the Week" for the second straight season...It was the Jaspers' only appearance on ESPN3 during the regular season...The contest was the opener of a Manhattan basketball doubleheader, as the men's team took on Loyola following the women's game.