Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. – It's safe to say that Alexis Crist (Mesa, Ariz.) is going to remember her Senior Day for a long time. After being unable to play all season due to injury, she got the start in her final appearance at Draddy Gymnasium and scored the Manhattan College women's basketball team's first two baskets against Fairfield on Saturday. Crist finished with four points and a rebound, as the Jaspers (3-26, 2-18 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) concluded the regular season with a 72-54 loss to the Stags (14-15, 13-7 MAAC).
Crist and Ashley Stec (Cazenovia, N.Y.) were honored prior to the contest, and the seniors started alongside each other in the season finale. Stec, for her part, collected two points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Fairfield recorded the first four points of the game before Crist hit a pair of layups to tie the score at 4-4. However, the Stags went on a 17-4 run over the next 7:30 to open up a 21-8 advantage. Manhattan got within eight at 23-15 on a three-pointer by Taylor Williams (Windsor, Conn.) at the 9:03 mark, and Williams drained another trey with 5:43 left before halftime to cut the Jaspers' deficit to six, 26-20. The Stags ended the period on a 17-2 run, though, giving them a 43-22 cushion at the break.
After a Williams layup brought the Jaspers within 18 early in the second half, the Stags scored seven straight points to create a 25-point spread, 54-29. Fairfield's lead reached a game-high 29 points at 66-37 before a layup by Kayla Grimme (Altoona, Pa.) started a 13-2 Manhattan run that again made the margin 18 points, 68-50. A Blake Underhill (Edgewater, N.J.) jumper just before the buzzer closed the scoring in Fairfield's 72-54 victory.
Grimme led the Jaspers with a game-high 18 points. Underhill finished with 12 points and three assists, while Williams added 12 points of her own. Nyasha Irizarry (Brooklyn, N.Y.) handed out three assists and pulled down a team-high four rebounds. Manhattan shot 38.5 percent (20-of-52) from the field, including 20 percent (2-of-10) from three-point range, and 80 percent (12-of-15) at the free throw line.
Four Fairfield players scored in double figures, led by 16 points from Samantha Cooper. She also grabbed six rebounds. Kelsey Carey, Kristin Schatzlein and Casey Smith all contributed 14 points, while Smith also had six boards and four assists. Felicia DaCruz and Lizzy Ball each distributed five assists for the Stags, who shot 56.6 percent (30-of-53) from the floor. Fairfield went 6-for-15 (40 percent) from downtown and 6-for-10 (60 percent) at the charity stripe while also outrebounding the Jaspers 32-27.
Manhattan will be the No. 11 seed in next week's MAAC Tournament and play in the first round at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday against the No. 6 seed, which will be either Niagara (13-16, 9-11 MAAC) or Monmouth (12-16, 8-11 MAAC). If Monmouth beats Quinnipiac on Sunday, the Jaspers will face the Hawks. Should Quinnipiac win, Manhattan's opponent will be Niagara.
NOTES: Manhattan faced Fairfield on Senior Day for the first time since 2011…The Jaspers have played more games against the Stags than any other opponent in program history…Fairfield has won the last eight matchups and leads the all-time series 44-36…With Crist making the Senior Day start, Manhattan has now used 17 different starting combinations involving 12 different players this season…Crist became the third player to start her first game with the Jaspers this season, joining Irizarry and Williams, who both started the season opener against Fairleigh Dickinson…Grimme reached double figures in the scoring column for the fourth straight time and the sixth time in the Jaspers' last eight games…Manhattan didn't record a blocked shot for the second time this season…If the Jaspers win their first round game, they'll face Fairfield again on Friday night in the MAAC quarterfinals.