Box Score
POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – Kayla Grimme (Altoona, PA) tallied a career-high 34 points, including 30 in the second half, in the Manhattan College women's basketball team's regular season finale on Sunday afternoon. The Jaspers (8-21, 4-16 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) were unable to come away with the victory, though, as Marist (14-16, 11-9 MAAC) held on for an 81-76 win at McCann Arena.
Grimme's 34 points tied this season's MAAC single-game high. She set career-highs with 13 made field goals and six treys. Grimme was a perfect 6-for-6 from three-point land and also secured six rebounds.
She was held to just four points in the first half, as Marist built a 32-25 advantage. The Red Foxes held a 24-17 lead after one quarter, then, after Manhattan scored the first two baskets of the second period, went on an 8-0 run to open up a 32-21 cushion. Grimme hit a layup with 1:53 remaining before halftime, and Taylor Williams (Windsor, CT) sank a layup just before time expired to trim the Jaspers' deficit to seven points, 32-25, at the break.
In the third quarter, Grimme began to heat up. She had nine points in the period, as Manhattan rallied to take a 48-46 lead. After the Jaspers pulled within two at 36-34, Marist scored six points to run the margin back to eight, 42-34. However, a pair of free throws by Mikki Guiton (Schwenksville, PA) followed by a Grimme trey started an 11-2 Manhattan spurt that put the Jaspers in front 45-44. Marist regained the lead on a Rebekah Hand layup, but Williams responded with a three-pointer to give Manhattan a two-point advantage.
The Red Foxes scored the first six points of the fourth quarter, though, to regain a four-point edge, 52-48. After a Grimme layup (two of her 21 fourth-quarter points) brought the Jaspers back within one, 54-53, Marist rattled off seven straight points to extend its cushion to eight, 61-53, midway through the period. Back-to-back Grimme treys cut the deficit to two, 66-64, with 2:50 remaining before the Red Foxes responded with five straight points, pushing the margin back to seven at 71-64. Manhattan got back within three, 78-75, with 12 seconds left, but Marist made its free throws down the stretch to finish off an 81-76 victory.
Williams finished one rebound shy of her first career double-double, tallying 11 points and nine boards to go along with five assists. Guiton added 12 points, while Amani Tatum (Cambria Heights, NY) contributed eight points and six assists. Nyasha Irizarry (Brooklyn, NY) also handed out six assists and secured six rebounds, as the Jaspers held a 31-24 edge on the glass. As a team, Manhattan shot 46.6 percent (27-of-58) from the field, 46.2 percent (12-of-26) from downtown, and 83.3 percent (10-of-12) at the charity stripe.
Maura Fitzpatrick led the Red Foxes with 26 points. Hand added 22 points, eight assists and six rebounds, while Lovisa Henningsdottir finished with 20 points and five boards. Claire Oberdorf handed out six assists to go along with seven points and six rebounds. Marist shot 56.6 percent (30-of-53) from the floor, including 55.6 percent (10-of-18) from long range, and 73.3 percent (11-of-15) at the free throw line.
Manhattan will be the No. 10 seed in the MAAC Tournament and face seventh-seeded Monmouth (14-15, 9-11 MAAC) in the first round at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday at the Times Union Center in Albany. It will be the third meeting in 15 days between the teams. The Jaspers notched a 75-61 victory over the Hawks on Feb. 16, while Monmouth won the rematch at Draddy Gymnasium, 63-50, on Friday night.
NOTES: Grimme had the first 30-point game for a Manhattan player since Monica Roeder poured in 35 against East Tennessee State on Nov. 19, 2011…She has scored at least 25 points in three of the Jaspers' last four contests…Seina's Jackie Benitez (Jan. 12) and Kollys Scarbrough (Jan. 28) have the other two 34-point games in the MAAC this season…Maeve Parahus (Congers, NY) drained her 100th career three-pointer in the game, making her the 12th player in program history to reach that milestone…Manhattan's 12 treys as a team were a season-high…Williams previously had eight rebounds twice in her career, most recently vs. Rider on Jan. 4, 2015…The first meeting of the season between the Jaspers and Red Foxes was the MAAC opener on Nov. 29…Marist leads the all-time series 31-24.