Manhattan University Athletics

Riverdale, NY - Manhattan women's basketball will host Fairfield Friday, February 1 in the Jaspers' first game back after their exciting upset win at Marist last week. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in Draddy Gymnasium. 

Game Notes:

Last Outing
The Jaspers (4-14, 2-5 MAAC) defeated then second-place Marist 69-51 on January 27 in Poughkeepsie. It was Head Coach Heather Vulin's first win against the Red Foxes, and the Jaspers' second-largest margin of victory this season. 

Sophomore guard Lynette Taitt (Irvington, NJ / Bishop Loughlin) put in a career-high 20 points at Marist to lead all scorers. She went 6-9 from the floor, including 2-2 from three, and went a perfect 6-6 from the foul line. To add to her career night, Taitt nabbed a game-high four steals. Junior forward Julie Hoier (Aabyhoej, Denmark / Marselisborg Gymnasium) added a career-high 16 points to the Jaspers' offense, going a near-perfect 5-6 from the floor. Hoier got the job done on the boards as well, pulling down nine. Freshman D'yona Davis (Bronx, NY / Truman) rounded-out the Jaspers' double-digit scorers at Marist, adding 13 of her own on the afternoon. She also contributed a game-high (tie) three assists.

Rookie of the Week
Davis averaged a team-high 11.5 points over two games last week, pulling down nine total rebounds, all on the defensive end. For her efforts, she was named MAAC Rookie of the Week, her second weekly honor from the league this season.

Davis first won MAAC Rookie honors in the fall after leading the Jaspers with 18 points against Stony Brook on November 17. Her latest honor marks the fourth Rookie of the Week nod awarded to Manhattan this season, as fellow freshmen Kania Pollock (Queens, NY / The Mary Louis Academy) and Sydney Watkins (Wanaque, NJ / Saddle River Day) have both earned the title. 

Warley at Work
Sophomore center Courtney Warley (West Chester, PA / Bishop Shanahan) leads the MAAC in rebounding with 8.4 boards per game this season, including a league-best 3.8 offensive rebounds per game. She's recorded eight double-digit rebounding games so far this season, a MAAC-high.

Warley also leads the MAAC in blocks with 1.7 per contest. She has totaled 31 this season, including a career-high six against Niagara on January 24. Adding to her defensive presence, Warley ranks third in the conference in steals, averaging 2.1 per game. 

MAAC Rankings
After holding Marist nearly 18 points below their scoring average, the Jaspers remain second in the MAAC for scoring defense, allowing 59.1 points per game. The Jaspers lead the league with 4.1 blocked shots per contest, in addition to ranking in the MAAC's top five for steal per game (9.1).

Four In Nine
Friday's match-up marks Manhattan's first of four games in nine days to kick-off the month of February. After Fairfield, Manhattan will host Siena (February 3) and Marist (February 7) before traveling to Jersey City to take on Saint Peter's (February 9).

About the Stags
Fairfield (5-14, 2-6 MAAC) is coming off back-to-back wins, defeating Iona on January 24 and Siena on January 29. The Stags sit just behind Manhattan in scoring defense, allowing 59.9 points per game. Fairfield leads the league in rebounding defense at 33.4 boards per game. The team also ranks second in the MAAC in free throw percentage, shooting more than 76 percent from the line.

Khadidiatou Diouf leads Fairfield with 12.1 points per game and 7.2 boards per game. Lou Lopez-Senechal (10.8) and Katie Armstrong (10.5) also average double-figure scoring.

Previous Meeting
Manhattan and Fairfield last met on February 10, 2018, with the Jaspers taking an early and convincing 13-point lead in the first quarter, eventually winning 55-44 at Draddy. Manhattan held the Stags to what was at that point their third-lowest scoring effort of the season. The Jaspers also committed just 12 turnovers.

All-Time Series
Fairfield leads the all-time series 48-38.

Play4Kay
Friday's game is the Jaspers' annual Play4Kay game, honoring cancer survivors in the Jasper community and lending awareness to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, started in memory of college basketball coach Kay Yow who passed away from breast cancer in 2009. In addition to an on-court halftime recognition of survivors, the Jaspers will also give away 300 Play4Kay t-shirts (250 to the first students and 50 to the first general ticket holders) to create a "pink-out" in the stands.