Box Score
Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. – Nyasha Irizarry (Brooklyn, N.Y.) had a career-high 16 points, but it was not enough for the Manhattan College women's basketball team on Friday night, as Buffalo (6-3) used an 8-0 run over the final minute of the first half to open up a 10-point lead before ultimately notching a 68-58 victory over the Jaspers (1-9) at Draddy Gymnasium.
Buffalo held a 6-5 lead when Kayla Grimme's (Altoona, Pa.) offensive rebound and put back gave Manhattan a 7-6 edge 5:27 into the contest. However, Joanna Smith hit a layup on the other end to put the Bulls back in front, 8-7. The Bulls extended their advantage to six points at 17-11 when a pair of Grimme free throws started a 6-2 Manhattan run that brought the Jaspers within two at 19-17 with 1:11 remaining before halftime.
After Smith drained a pair of foul shots to increase the Buffalo lead to four points, 21-17, a Mackenzie Loesing steal and layup made it a six-point game. Loesing was fouled on the play, and she sank the free throw to make it 24-17 with 39 seconds left in the half. Buffalo then grabbed the rebound off a Manhattan miss and Smith followed with a trey to increase the lead to 10 points, 27-17. The Bulls got the ball back again after a Manhattan turnover with four seconds to go, but their three-point attempt was after the buzzer and the teams went into the locker room with Buffalo holding a 27-17 edge.
The teams traded baskets early in the second half, with a Nicole Anderson (Hamden, Conn.) jumper pulling the Jaspers within nine at 38-29 at the 12:09 mark. However, Buffalo went on a 15-5 run over the next four minutes to push its lead to a game-high 19 points, 53-34.
An Irizarry trey started Manhattan's comeback attempt, as Taylor Williams (Windsor, Conn.) followed with a three-pointer of her own and Maeve Parahus (Congers, N.Y.) hit two treys to cut the margin to 11, 57-46, with 5:19 left. Another Irizarry long ball cut the deficit to nine points at 60-51, but the Jaspers would get no closer, as Buffalo countered with six of the next eight points to run its margin back to 13, 66-53, with 1:34 to go, and the Bulls held on for a 68-58 triumph.
Irizarry sank four three-pointers for the second consecutive game and also had career-highs of five assists and three steals. Grimme just missed a double-double, finishing with 10 points and nine rebounds, including six on the offensive glass. Williams collected nine points and six boards, while Parahus chipped in nine points on three treys. The Jaspers shot 33.9 percent (19-of-56) from the field and 34.8 percent (8-of-23) from long range. Manhattan didn't miss a free throw, going 12-for-12 from the line, and outrebounded Buffalo 38-37.
Smith led the Bulls with a career-high 18 points, while Alexus Malone had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Loesing also tallied 13 points for Buffalo. Christa Baccas finished with nine points and seven rebounds, and Rachael Gregory registered nine points of her own. As a team, Buffalo shot 41.7 percent (25-of-60) from the floor, 36.8 percent (7-of-19) from three-point land, and 55 percent (11-of-20) at the charity stripe.
Manhattan will now take a nine-day holiday break before resuming its eight-game homestand with a 2 p.m. matchup against New Hampshire (6-3) on Dec. 28. It will be the Jaspers' final non-conference tilt of the season.
NOTES: It was just the second all-time meeting between the schools, and the first in Riverdale…Buffalo now leads the series 2-0…Ashley Stec (Cazenovia, N.Y.) played in her 100th career game on Friday night and finished with six points and five rebounds…Manhattan outrebounded its opponent for the third time this season…The Jaspers utilized a different starting lineup for the fifth straight time and the eighth time this season…Irizarry returned to the starting five after coming off the bench in the previous two games…Her previous career-high was 13 points against Army on Nov. 22…Manhattan's 41-point second half was its second-highest-scoring period of the season…The last time the Jaspers didn't miss a free throw, they went 10-for-10 from the line at Fairfield on Feb. 21, 2014…Manhattan didn't miss a shot (field goal or free throw) over the final 8:21 of the contest, making its last seven field goal attempts (all of which were three-pointers)...The nine days off before facing New Hampshire will be Manhattan's longest break of the season.
