Riverdale, NY - Manhattan women's basketball returns to Draddy Gymnasium Tuesday night for a non-conference match-up with Patriot League foe Lafayette. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday's home game will be the Jaspers' Youth Night, and all kids 12 and under will receive free admission. The Jaspers will also sign autographs post-game for all fans.
Game Notes:
Last Outing
The Jaspers (1-5) went down to the wire at Fordham on December 1, losing to the Rams 65-61 in the annual Battle of the Bronx. The Jaspers shot 44.4 percent for the game, including a 71.4 percent second quarter, where the team went 10-14 from the floor. The Jaspers committed just 13 turnovers, their lowest TO performance of the season, and went 11-12 from the foul line, the team's best performance at the charity stripe this season (nearly 92 percent).
Top Performer
Sophomore guard
Lynette Taitt (Irvington, NJ / Bishop Loughlin) put in a career-high 15 points for Manhattan at Fordham, going 6-7 from the floor and 3-3 from the foul line. She added four rebounds and two assists.
The Rankings
The Jaspers rank 30th in all of Division I for steals per game (12) and 72nd in total steals (72). The team also ranks 53rd in turnovers forced per game, averaging 20.83. Manhattan leads the MAAC in steals per game.
Sophomore
Courtney Warley (West Chester, PA / Bishop Shanahan) ranks second in the league in rebounds per game (7.8), in addition to ranking eighth in the MAAC in field goal percentage (.412). Teammate
Gabby Cajou (Stony Point, NY / North Rockland) ranks fifth in the league with 3.2 assists per game and fourth in steals per game (2.3). Her 1.6 assist/turnover ratio is good for second place in the MAAC.
Meet the Leopards
Lafayette (4-3) is coming off a double overtime victory over Albany on Saturday December 1. In that game, sophomore Olivia Martino poured in a career-high 19 points, 17 coming in the second half and overtimes, to help the Leopards overcome a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit. Lafayette was out-rebounded for the first time this season, but are still the 15th-best rebounding team in the nation, pulling in 46.7 a contest.
Previous Meeting
The Jaspers and Leopards last met on December 3, 2011 in Easton, PA, with the Jaspers battling back from a 14-point deficit before dropping the contest 48-43. It was Manhattan's first time on Lafayette's home court since 1991.
Series History
Lafayette leads the all-time series 5-4, with the Leopards claiming the last two meetings.
