Manhattan University Athletics

Riverdale, NY - Manhattan women's basketball (4-7, 1-1 MAAC) will host the Niagara Purple Eagles (2-8, 0-1 MAAC) on Saturday, January 4 in Draddy Gymnasium. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 pm on ESPN+.

GAME NOTES

Last Outing
Manhattan freshman Emily LaPointe (Staten Island, NY / Staten Island Academy) set a career scoring-high of 25 points against Canisius on January 2, helping the Jaspers to a decisive 68-50 win over the Golden Griffins, the team's first MAAC win of the 2019-20 season.

Shooting just 19 percent in the first quarter, the Jaspers found themselves down by 10 in the beginning of the second before going on a defense-fueled 15-0 run midway through the period to take over the lead. Manhattan forced 21 turnovers from the Griffs, scoring 27 points off the Canisius missteps. The Jaspers also out-rebounded the Griffs 43-38 and 21-13 in offensive rebounds, leading to 13 second-chance points for Manhattan.

Top Performers
LaPointe was one of three Jaspers to score in double-figures against the Griffs Thursday night. Sydney Watkins (Wanaque, NJ / Saddle River Day) contributed 16 of her own, hitting four threes in the game, while Courtney Warley (West Chester, PA / Bishop Shanahan) added 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, her second double-double performance of the season.

MAAC Rankings
Manhattan ranks second in the MAAC in scoring defense, holding opponents to 60.6 points per game. The Jaspers also are the conference leaders in three-point field goal percentage defense (.283), while tying for third in blocked shots per game (3.1) and leading the MAAC in steals per game (9.6). 

About the Purple Eagles
Niagara comes into Saturday's match-up at 2-8 on the year and 0-1 in the MAAC after losing a close contest against Rider on January 2. The Purple Eagles are second in the conference for rebounding, pulling down 38.6 boards per game, while also ranking fifth in scoring (63.6 per game) as a team. Jai Moore leads Niagara with 15.8 points per game (sixth in the MAAC). She's joined in double-digit scoring by Maggie McIntyre, who is averaging just over 10 points per contest.

Previous Meeting
In the last meeting of the Manhattan and Niagara, the Jaspers earned 48 rebounds, including 32 defensive boards, but it wasn't enough to keep the Purple Eagles at bay, as Niagara took the win 58-54 in Draddy. Warley and Julie Høier (Aabyhoej, Denmark / Marselisborg Gymnasium) each earned career-highs in blocks in the game. Warley nabbed six, besting her previous high of five and recording the MAAC's best blocking performance of the season, while Høier earned four. Høier also had a career night on the boards, grabbing 10 total, the first double-digit rebounding night of her career.

All-Time Series
Niagara leads the all-time series 33-29 after beating the Jaspers twice during the 2018-19 season.

Fresh Air Fund
The Jaspers will honor Leandra Feliz, mother of Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz, and celebrate Bronx children who attend The Fresh Air Fund Camp Junior, named in his memory, at half court during Saturday's game. Hundreds of Fresh Air children and families will also be in attendance.