Box Score
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – The Manhattan College women's basketball team had a halftime lead against Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) rival Niagara on Sunday afternoon. However, the Purple Eagles (4-3, 2-0 MAAC) went on a 33-0 run in the second half to pull away for a 64-36 victory over the Jaspers (1-6, 0-2 MAAC) at the Gallagher Center.
Manhattan scored the first six points of the game before Niagara rallied to go up 13-8. The Jaspers responded with a 10-4 spurt to regain the lead, 18-17, but the Purple Eagles went back in front on a pair of Victoria Rampado free throws at the 1:39 mark. Manhattan forced a shot clock violation with 13 seconds left in the half, and Maeve Parahus (Congers, N.Y.) missed a jumper on the ensuing Jaspers possession. Kayla Grimme (Altoona, Pa.) grabbed the offensive rebound, though, and her put back with 2.4 seconds remaining gave the Jaspers a 20-19 halftime advantage.
Parahus hit a trey, Manhattan's first of the game, to open the second half, and a Nyasha Irizarry (Brooklyn, N.Y.) layup put the Jaspers in front 27-24 with 17:20 remaining. However, that would be Manhattan's last bucket for nearly 15 minutes. The Purple Eagles scored 33 points during that span to open up a 57-27 advantage. Grimme finally ended the scoring drought at the 2:28 mark, and Manhattan outscored Niagara 9-7 the rest of the way to make the final 64-36.
Grimme finished one rebound shy of a double-double, tallying 10 points and nine rebounds to go along with three blocks. Shayna Ericksen (Long Valley, N.J.) added eight points, while Irizarry had seven points and three assists. Blake Underhill (Edgewater, N.J.) also distributed three assists for the Jaspers, who shot 28.3 percent (15-of-53) from the field. Manhattan went just 2-for-20 (10 percent) from long range and 4-for-8 (50 percent) at the free throw line.
Meghan McGuinness posted a game-high 13 points for the Purple Eagles, and she added seven rebounds. Rampado notched 12 points and nine boards, as Niagara outrebounded Manhattan 45-30. Val McQuade and Taylor McKay tallied eight points apiece, and McKay also collected four steals. Kelly Van Leeuwen handed out four assists for Niagara, which shot 42.1 percent (24-of-57) from the field, 28 percent (7-of-25) from three-point land, and 75 percent (9-of-12) at the charity stripe.
After playing its first two MAAC games this weekend, the Jaspers resume their non-conference schedule with the annual “Battle of the Bronx” against rival Fordham (5-4) next Sunday at 2 p.m. It will mark the end of a season-long five-game road trip for Manhattan.
NOTES: Niagara evened the all-time series at 26-26…The Jaspers failed to reach 40 points for the first time since a 54-34 loss at Loyola on Feb. 15, 2013…Underhill returned to the team after missing the Canisius game due to a death in the family and made her first start of the season…Parahus also got the start for the first time in her career….Manhattan used its fifth different starting lineup of the season, with Underhill and Parahus becoming the 10th and 11th players to appear in the starting lineup…The Jaspers held the lead at halftime for the second time this season, and the first since the season opener against Fairleigh Dickinson on Nov. 14…The teams went a combined 1-for-25 from three-point range in the first half…Manhattan is 0-2 in MAAC play for the first time since the 2010-11 campaign.