Manhattan University Athletics

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – The Manhattan College women's basketball team earned the 500^th victory in program history on Monday night.  And the Jaspers did it in style.  Manhattan (11-11, 8-5 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) won at Marist's McCann Arena for the first time since 2003, topping the Red Foxes (12-12, 11-3 MAAC) by a 64-59 count.

“This was a huge win for us, especially against such a quality opponent in a really tough place to play,” Head Coach John Olenowski said.  “Marist is such a good team and so well-coached.  We knew they were without their top player (Tori Jarosz, the MAAC's leading scorer and second-leading rebounder), but the rest of the team is also very good, and they're very difficult to beat, especially at home.  I'm very proud of our team for getting a solid road win.”

An Amani Tatum (Cambria Heights, NY) three-pointer at the 5:37 mark of the first quarter ignited a 10-0 Manhattan rally that gave the Jaspers an 18-7 advantage.  However, the Red Foxes countered with a 10-0 run of their own, and the Jaspers led by one point, 18-17, at the end of the period.

After a Kayla Grimme (Altoona, PA) layup increased Manhattan's advantage to three, 20-17, early in the second quarter, the Red Foxes went on a 10-2 spurt to go up by five, 27-22.  Crystal Ross (Philadelphia, PA) hit a layup on the other end to pull the Jaspers within 27-24, and neither team would score again over the final 2:15 of the first half.

In the third quarter, Marist opened up a 33-29 advantage before a layup by Blake Underhill (Edgewater, NJ), followed by a Tatum three-point play gave the Jaspers a 34-33 lead.  After the Red Foxes tied it at 36-36, back-to-back Underhill layups pushed the margin back to four, 40-36, and Manhattan held a 41-40 advantage entering the final 10 minutes.

Marist led 49-47 midway through the fourth quarter when a steal and layup by Tatum tied the game at 49-49.  Tatum then banked in a three to give Manhattan the lead for good.  On Marist's next possession, Grimme got a steal and dished off to Tatum, who converted a layup and was fouled.  Tatum hit the free throw to cap her personal 8-0 run and put the Jaspers up 55-49 with 3:57 remaining.

Sydney Coffey sank a trey on the ensuing Marist possession to make it a three-point game, 55-52, before a layup and free throw by Grimme brought the margin back to six.  Tatum then drained a long three extend the lead to seven, 61-54, with 1:34 left, and Manhattan snapped its 12-game losing streak in Poughkeepsie with a 64-59 triumph.

“I thought we had a really solid effort, both offensively and defensively,” Olenowski said.  “We did a really good job defensively in the second half and valued the ball nicely throughout the game.  We have a lot of work ahead of us, but are excited about finishing up conference play on a strong note.”

Tatum finished with a career-high 19 points to go along with four assists and five steals.  Underhill contributed 14 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Grimme had her fifth double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 boards.  Shayna Ericksen (Long Valley, NJ) just missed a double-double of her own, ending up with nine points and 12 rebounds.  The Jaspers outrebounded the Red Foxes 43-32 and shot 40.7 percent (24-of-59) from the field as a team.  Manhattan went 3-for-11 (27.3 percent) from three-point range and 13-for-21 (61.9 percent) at the free throw line.

Coffey tallied a game-high 20 points to pace the Red Foxes.  Allie Clement added 11 points, while Claire Oberdorf notched nine points and seven rebounds.  Morgan Bartner, meanwhile, registered eight points and five rebounds off the bench.  Marist shot 33.3 percent (17-of-51) from the floor, including 34.3 percent (12-of-35) from downtown, and 72.2 percent (13-of-18) at the charity stripe.

On Thursday, Manhattan returns home for a 5 p.m. matchup with Monmouth (8-15, 6-8 MAAC) that will be broadcast live on ESPN3.  The Hawks beat the Jaspers 72-62 last Tuesday, Manhattan's only loss in its last six games.