Box Score
RIVERDALE, NY – Kayla Grimme (Altoona, PA) tallied a career-high 21 on Friday night, but it was not enough for the Manhattan College women's basketball team, as the Jaspers (5-13, 1-8 MAAC) dropped a 76-62 decision to defending Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) champion Iona (10-8, 5-4 MAAC) at Draddy Gymnasium. Grimme also pulled down a team-high nine rebounds and added three assists in 39 minutes of action.
The Jaspers jumped out to an early 5-1 lead on a Grimme layup and a Nyasha Irizarry (Brooklyn, NY) three-pointer. However, Iona countered with a 7-0 run to go up 8-5. The Gaels led 15-12 when Taylor Williams (Windsor, CT) sank a layup and Grimme hit a jumper to put Manhattan back in front, 16-15. Marina Lizarazu then converted a pair of layups to give Iona a 19-16 cushion at the end of the first quarter.
Iona extended the margin to 11 points at 32-21 on a Lizarazu trey with 3:27 left in the second quarter, but a Sheridan Heine (Chandler, TX) three-pointer sparked a 6-0 Manhattan rally that brought the Jaspers back within five, 32-27. The Gaels led by seven, 36-29, at the break.
It was 45-37 in favor of the Gaels when a layup and free throw by Mikki Guiton (Schwenksville, PA) cut the deficit to five, 45-40, with 6:09 left in the third quarter. That ignited an 8-0 Jaspers run, as a Guiton free throw put Manhattan back in front, 46-45, with 3:25 remaining in the period. A Gabby Cajou (Stony Point, NY) foul shot made it a two-point game, but Iona responded with a pair of free throws to tie it, and the squads went into the final stanza deadlocked at 49-49.
However, the Gaels started the fourth quarter on an 11-0 run to open up a 60-49 advantage. The lead reached 12 points at 67-55, but a Cajou layup followed by a Julie Høier (Aabyhoej, Denmark) three-pointer trimmed the margin to seven, 67-60, with 1:02 left. Iona went 9-for-10 at the free throw line in the final minute, though, and the Gaels handed Manhattan a 76-62 loss.
Guiton finished with 13 points and six rebounds, and Irizarry recorded nine points. Cajou, meanwhile, had seven points to go along with six assists and four rebounds. As a team, the Jaspers shot 46.8 percent (22-of-47) from the field, 33.3 percent (6-of-18) from three-point range, and 63.2 percent (12-of-19) at the charity stripe.
Lizarazu led Iona with 26 points, six assists and four steals. Alexis Lewis just missed a double-double with 17 points and nine rebounds, while Philecia Atkins-Gilmore tallied 16 points, seven boards and four assists off the bench. Treyanna clay added nine points and six rebounds for the Gaels, who shot 40.9 percent (27-of-66) from the floor. Iona went 9-for-23 (39.1 percent) from downtown and 13-for-18 (72.2 percent) at the free throw line. The Gaels also outrebounded the Jaspers 37-30.
Manhattan will play five of its next six contests on the road, starting with a 2 p.m. matchup at Saint Peter's (3-15, 2-7 MAAC) on Sunday. The Jaspers won all three meetings with the Peacocks in 2015-16, including a 60-43 victory in the first round of the MAAC Tournament.
NOTES: It was Faculty & Staff Appreciation Night at Draddy Gymnasium…This was the 76th all-time meeting between the squads, and Manhattan leads the series 45-31…Iona swept the season series for the fourth time in five years…Grimme's previous career-high was 20 points at Brown on Nov. 22, 2016…She also had two block to move within two of the program record…The Jaspers shot better than their opponent for the second straight contest and the fifth time this season…Manhattan used a different starting lineup for the third straight game, with Guiton making her first start since Dec. 2…The Jaspers played a home game on Inauguration Day for the first time since Ronald Reagan took office on Jan. 20, 1981.