Manhattan University Athletics

New Rochelle, NY - Manhattan women's basketball will take on Iona at the Gaels' Hynes Center Friday, February 22.

The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ starting at 7:00 p.m.

Game Notes:

MAAC Regular Season
Friday's game marks the first of the Jaspers' final four regular season games. First-place Quinnipiac clinched the MAAC tournament #1 seed with a win over Rider on Thursday, while teams in the middle of the standings will fight for seeding down the stretch. After Iona, Manhattan will play Saint Peter's at home on February 24, Quinnipiac on the road on February 28 and Canisius at home on March 2. 

Last Outing
Manhattan (8-17, 6-8 MAAC) overcame a nine-point fourth quarter deficit to topple MAAC second-place Rider 60-57 on the road Sunday, February 17. Lizahya Morgan (East Hartford, CT / Capital Preparatory Magnet) and Kania Pollock (Queens, NY / The Mary Louis Academy) each scored a team-high 12 points for Manhattan against Rider, including 10 second-half points from Pollock. Lynette Taitt (Irvington, NJ / Bishop Loughlin) put in 11 points of her own, including six in the last 2:45 of the game. Taitt added a game-high four steals, six rebounds and three assists. Julie Hoier (Aabyhoej, Denmark / Marselisborg Gymnasium) pulled down a game-high nine boards, nabbing six on the defensive end. 

Top MAAC Performers
Courtney Warley (West Chester, PA / Bishop Shanahan) leads the league in rebounding (8.7 rpg) and blocked shots (1.8 bpg), including a MAAC-high 9.5 boards per game and 2.5 blocks per game against conference opponents. Warley is also the MAAC leader in steals per game (2.6) against MAAC foes. 

With 9.4 points per game in MAAC play, Taitt has pushed into the league's top 30 scorers, now ranking in the 25th spot. She's also seventh on the steals per game list with 2.1 per contest. 

MAAC Rankings
Manhattan remains second in the MAAC for scoring defense, holding opponents to 58 points per game (55.1 points per conference game). The Jaspers lead the league in blocked shots, averaging 4.2 per game overall this season and 5.1 against MAAC opponents. Manhattan ranks third in the MAAC in rebounding, averaging 37.6 boards a game. The team sits in second for steals with 9.2 per game.

About the Gaels
Iona (3-23, 2-13 MAAC) has won its last two games, defeating Monmouth and Saint Peter's last week. Morgan Rachu is the lone Gael to average double-figures this season, leading the team with 11 points per game, good for 12th in the MAAC. She also pulls down a team-high 5.2 rebounds per match-up. 

Previous Meeting
The Jaspers earned their first MAAC win of the season on January 18, topping Iona 55-33 at home. Warley pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds, while adding a game-high four steals. Freshmen D'yona Davis (Bronx, NY / Truman) and Kania Pollock (Queens, NY / The Mary Louis Academy) combined for 27 of Manhattan's 55 points. Davis led the Jaspers with 14, while Pollock scored 13, including nine points in the first quarter. Davis went 6-8 from the floor, while Pollock added four rebounds, three assists and two steals to her night's performance. 

All-Time Series
Manhattan leads the all-time series against Iona 49-31. Iona last defeated the Jaspers on January 20, 2017, when the Gaels took a 76-62 win at Draddy.