Box Score
FAIRFIELD, CT – After four straight home games, the Manhattan College women's basketball team began a stretch where it plays four out of six on the road at Fairfield on Sunday afternoon. The Jaspers (5-10, 1-5 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) got a combined 37 points from Kayla Grimme (Altoona, PA) and Gabby Cajou (Stony Point, NY), but it was not enough to hold off the hot-shooting Stags (7-8, 4-2 MAAC), who posted a 71-56 victory at Alumni Hall.
It was tied at 6-6 early in the first quarter before Fairfield went on a 16-4 run to end the frame, putting the Stags up 22-10 after 10 minutes. After the Stags extended the margin to 15 points, 29-14, midway thru the second period, Manhattan responded with a deep three-pointer by KellyAnne O'Reilly (Montville, NJ) and a Cajou layup to get back within 10 at 29-19. Fairfield's advantage was 34-24 at the break.
The Stags scored the first basket of the second half to increase their lead to 12 points, 36-24, but the Jaspers countered with seven straight points to get back within five, 36-31, with 6:56 remaining in the third quarter. It was still a six-point game, 41-35, at the 4:39 mark when Fairfield used an 11-3 spurt to push the margin back to 14 points, 52-38, and the Stags took a 55-41 cushion into the final period.
Fairfield opened up its largest lead of the game, a 67-48 advantage, with 3:57 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Jaspers responded with eight of the next 10 points, though, to close within 13 before the Stags' Sam Kramer capped the scoring in Fairfield's 71-56 victory.
Grimme finished with 19 points and five rebounds, and Cajou tallied a career-high 18 points to go along with four boards and two assists in 36 minutes of action. O'Reilly added six points, while Maeve Parahus (Congers, NY) and Taylor Williams (Windsor, CT) each grabbed four rebounds. Manhattan shot 40 percent (18-of-45) from the field, 35 percent (7-of-20) from long range, and 61.9 percent (13-of-21) at the free throw line.
Kelsey Carey had a double-double for the Stags with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Samantha Cooper registered 14 points, seven boards and three assists, and Casey Smith added 14 points to go along with six rebounds. Casey Foley, meanwhile, finished with eight points, nine assists and three steals for Fairfield. The Stags made 53.8 percent (28-of-52) of their field goal attempts and 44.4 percent (4-of-9) of their shots from three-point land. Fairfield went 11-for-17 (64.7 percent) at the charity stripe.
Manhattan returns to Connecticut on Tuesday night for a 7 p.m. matchup at first-place Quinnipiac (13-3, 6-0 MAAC). The Jaspers won at the TD Bank Sports Center last season, their first-ever victory over the Bobcats.
NOTES: Fairfield is the most common opponent in program history…This was the 83rd all-time meeting between the teams, and the Stags lead the series 46-37…Manhattan used its 11th different starting lineup this season, with Williams making her first start since Dec. 2…Grimme had one block to most past Lori Toomey into sole possession of second place on the Jaspers' career list, just six behind all-time leader Nadia Peters…Cajou's previous career-high was 13 points at St. Francis Brooklyn on Dec. 7…The Jaspers' 21 free throw attempts were a season-high.