Orlando, FL - The Jaspers open the MAAC ASUN Challenge with a loss to preseason ASUN favorite, Florida Gulf Coast. Despite a hard-fought battle, Manhattan was outpaced by the Flordia Gulf Coast Eagles 88-57.
In defeat, Preseason All-MAAC First Team performer Courtney Warley (West Chester, PA) tallied double-digit rebounds for the third game in a row and a double-double for the day, finishing the game with 11 points and 14 rebounds. Junior forward Brazil Harvey-Carr (Camden, NJ) finished with 12 points and six rebounds, continuing the trend on the Jaspers offense, registering the double-digit points for her third straight game.
Manhattan shared the wealth in scoring, completing the game with nine different players scoring for the Jaspers.
The Jasper's defense came out strong after the halftime break, as they were able to hold the Eagles to a mere 11 points in the third quarter. Continuing their defensive prowess, Manhattan hit the boards hard, outrebounding the Eagles 32 to 41. 27 of those rebounds came on the defensive side of the court. Additionally, the Jaspers took advantage of their size, outscoring the Eagles 36-24 in the paint.
Recently named the No. 1 mid-major school by CollegeInsider.com and ranked first in the ASUN preseason poll the Eagles came out of the gates hard, ending the first quarter leading the Jaspers 18-27. The Eagles proved to be too much from beyond the arch for the Jaspers ending the game 18-40 from the three, scoring 54 of their 88 points from long distance.
The Eagles were led by the unanimously picked ASUN 2021 Player of the Year junior guard Kierstan Bell. Bell who was tabbed as ASUN Preseason player of the year again finished the game with 31 points, going 5-11 from beyond the arc.
Jaspers will return to play in the MAAC ASUN Challenge tomorrow against the Stetson Hatters at 2:30 p.m. with coverage on ESPN3.
