Manhattan University Athletics

Atlantic City, NJ - No. 5 Manhattan (10-6) opens up MAAC Championship play against No. 4 Fairfield (10-4) on Thursday, March 11 at 2:30 pm at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall. 

How To Watch
Thursday's game will be streamed through ESPN+ by clicking HERE, while the International Streaming link may be found by clicking HERE.

QUICK HITS
* The Jaspers enter on a five-game winning streak, and are limiting teams to just 51.0 ppg during that time thanks to forcing an average of 20.4 turnovers each time out.
* Junior Dee Dee Davis and senior Courtney Warley were each tabbed to the All-MAAC Second Team.
* For Davis it's her first appearance on an All-MAAC team. 



* Warley becomes the sixth Jasper in program history to earn All-MAAC accolades on three occasions.



* Manhattan will be the No. 5 seed for the sixth time in program history, highlighted by winning the 1987 MAAC Championship as the five.
* The Jaspers hold an all-time record of 30-34 at the MAAC Tournament, including going 5-5 as the No. 5 seed and 4-6 vs. Fairfield.
* The two teams didn't meet this year due to #Covid19, but were the top two teams in the MAAC Preseason poll and split last season.
* Head Coach Heather Vulin has won three-of-four against Fairfield, after dropping her first three meetings to the Stags.
* She is also 2-3, all-time, during MAAC Championship play.

You Always Double Down
Warley is averaging a double-double with 11.3 ppg (13th MAAC) and 10.6 rpg (2nd MAAC), and ranks second in the league with six double-doubles and 10 double-digit rebounding performances. She is also among the league leaders in steals (2.2 spg-6th), free throw % (.770-8th), blocks (1.0 bpg-9th), offensive rebounds (3.4-2nd), defensive rebounds (7.2-2nd) and minutes (35.2 mpg-4th).

Warley's Career Totals ...
* 42 double-digit rebounding performances
* 40 double-digit scoring outings
* 20 double-doubles

Warley's 2020-21 Double-Doubles
1. at Rider (12/12/20) - 14 points, 13 rebounds
2. vs. Quinnipiac (12/18/21) - 17 points, 11 rebounds
3. vs. Saint Peter's (1/1/21) - 13 points, 12 rebounds
4. at Marist (1/9/21) - 10 points, 13 rebounds
5. vs. Saint Peter's (2/6/21) - 18 points, 12 rebounds
6. vs. Iona (2/14/21) - 14 points, 10 rebounds 

Warley's Weekend MAAC Averages
at Rider - 16.5 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 3.5 spg, 1.5 bpg 
- Season-high 19 points in the opener
Quinnipiac - 12.0 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 3.0 spg, 1.5 bpg
Saint Peter's - 12.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 1.0 spg, 1.0 bpg
at Marist - 7.5 ppg, 14.0 rpg, 2.0 bpg, 1.5 spg
- Season-high 15 rebounds in the finale
at Monmouth - 9.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 3.5 spg
Iona - 11.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.5 spg

Getting It Done In The Classroom
Warley was honored as being one of 30 finalists for the prestigious Senior Class Award.

Dee Dee Domination
After missing last year due to injury, Davis bounced back with a vengeance this season en route to pacing the squad in scoring and ranking seventh in the MAAC at 12.9 ppg. She also notched double-figures in scoring a team-best 14 times, and hit for a Manhattan-best 19 points against Northeastern and in the Jaspers' series-opening victory over Iona.  Davis also ranks among the MAAC leaders from long range (.330-11th), from the line (.717-12th) and with 1.4 spg (12th).

Metropolitan Honors Take One
Davis averaged 18.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.5 apg and 1.5 spg over Manhattan's sweep of Iona en route to earning Metropolitan Player of the Week honors.

More Davis
* Davis is averaging 15.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 2.0 rpg over her last seven games, highlighted by her aforementioned 19-point performances.
* Additionally, after halftime during that time she is averaging 9.3 ppg, highlighted by going for 13 points in 13 minutes in the finale at Monmouth.
* Davis handed out a career-best six assists in the last win over Saint Peter's.
* She has scored in double-figures in 20 of her last 23 games, and 24 career times.

Davis From Deep
Davis was 7-for-15 (.467) over a two-game sweep of Iona and drained a career-high five three pointers against Northeastern, before sinking three of her four in the fourth quarter of the finale at Monmouth. She also converted three overtime triples in the win over Quinnipiac, and has drained least three triples on seven occasions - highlighted by a career-high five vs. Northeastern - including in four of her last six.

Metropolitan Honors Take Two
Warley scored 18 points with 12 caroms in the victory over Saint Peter's en route to being named the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Player of the Week. 

Miceus Dominates Against Iona
Graduate student Pamela Miceus averaged 11.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 1.5 bpg in the Jaspers' most recent sweep of Iona, highlighted by scoring a career-high 16 points with six rebound and three blocks in the opener.

Miceus Making Moves
Miceus, notched her first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds against Saint Peter's, while also adding four blocks, two assists and two steals.

Double Your Pleasure
Warley and Miceus' double-doubles mark the first time that the Jaspers had two players record double-doubles since Kayla Grimme (14 points, 10 rebounds) and Mikki Guiton (12 points, 11 rebounds) did so at Canisius on Feb. 2, 2017. 

Good Riddance 2020!
Since the calendar turned to 2021, Miceus is averaging 10.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 2.1 blocks per game over the Jaspers' 10 games.

Pam In The Post
Miceus, who hit for double-figures six times this year, after doing so just twice in her first three seasons, is averaging 8.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg (17th MAAC) and 1.8 bpg (5th MAAC), while converting on 47.2 percent (4th MAAC) from the floor.

You're The Best Around, And No One's Gonna Hold You Down
Manhattan is among the nation's best in scoring defense (55.6 ppg-18th), FG % defense (.373-50th) and blocks (4.2 bpg-53rd) and turnovers forced (17.3 pg-93rd).

The Jaspers Are ...
* 13-0 the last three-plus years when scoring at least 70 points.
* 8-0 when leading at the half this season, and forcing at least 18 turnovers.
* 5-1 in games decided by five points or less this year.

50+70=Success
* The Jaspers held Iona and Monmouth to less than 50 points in each victory, while improving to 26-2 under Head Coach Heather Vulin when doing so.
* Manhattan scored a season-high matching 75 points in the third victory over Saint Peter's, to improve to 14-1 when scoring at least 70 points under Vulin.

Pretty, Pretty, Pretty Good
Thanks to the most recent victory, Vulin is a perfect 12-0 against Saint Peter's, while extending the Jaspers' winning streak over the Peahens to 16.

Double-Digit Success
For the second time this year, the Green & White had four double-figure scorers in the most-recent triumph over Saint Peter's.

Straight To The Point
Graduate student Gabby Cajou accrued a season-high seven assists vs. Stony Brook and Northeastern, and has handed out at least five dimes on five occasions. Cajou, who scored a season-high 12 points in the finale vs. Quinnipiac, is averaging 4.6 ppg and 3.4 apg (8th MAAC) with a 1.8 assist/to ratio (5th MAAC).

Of Note
Cajou has now registered at least seven assists on eight occasions in her four-plus years at Manhattan, and at least five helpers 27 times. Additionally, over her last six games she has posted a sparkling 2.5 assist/to ratio.

She's Back
Sophomore Emily LaPointe returned to action in the Iona series, and did a little bit of everything in getting reacclimated to the squad, averaging 3.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.0 apg and 2.0 spg in helping the Jaspers register the sweep.

Filling It Up
LaPoine has registered double-figures in scoring four times, grabbed at least five rebounds on nine occasions and dished out four assists in five games. On the year, she is averaging 8.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg (19th MAAC) and 3.4 apg (9th MAAC) while posting a 1.1 assist/to ratio (12th MAAC). 

Against Quinnipiac ...
LaPointe's putback at the buzzer lifted the Jaspers to a 71-70 victory over Quinnipiac in the opener and highlighted a weekend in which she averaged 11.5 ppg, 8.5 apg and 5.5 apg. In the aforementioned opener, she finished with 15 points, a career-high nine assists and five rebounds over 44 minutes. 

Overtime Notes
Manhattan's 71-70 victory over Quinnipiac snapped an eight-game losing streak in overtime games that dated back to a 71-59 triumph against Monmouth on December 17, 2011.

More Than Just A Basketball Player
Earlier this year, LaPointe was named the MAAC representative to the newly formed NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Student-Athlete Engagement Group, which will serve as an amplifying voice for women's basketball on key initiatives, legislation and various issues.

CK Sparks Manhattan (Again)
Sophomore Christiana Katsamouri matched her previous career-high of 14 points, while also setting career-highs in rebounds (7), assists (3) and minutes (29) in the Jaspers' 75-70 non-conference victory over Saint Peter's

CK Sparks Manhattan
With Manhattan trailing by nine points early in the second quarter in the second meeting with Saint Peter's, Katsamouri provided immediate offense to the tune of eight-straight points. She followed that up with six more after halftime, en route to finishing with a career and team-high 14 points, on 6-of-8 shooting.

She's Heating Up
Junior Sydney Watkins is averaging 6.9 ppg and 2.0 triples each time out, over her last seven games. During that time she is also converting on 35.9 percent (14-of-39) from deep. For the season, she is 14th in the MAAC from deep (.321).

Manhattan-Fairfield/MAAC Tournament Player Notes
* LaPointe averaged 17.5 ppg and 4.5 rpg, while shooting a blistering 52.0 percent (13-of-25), including 45.5 percent (5-of-11) from deep last year, vs. the Stags.
* Warley is averaging 10.0 ppg and 6.2 rpg over five career games against Fairfield, highlighted by a 20-point performance in the teams' most recent meeting.
* She is also averaging 9.8 ppg and 8.8 rpg over four MAAC Tourney games. 

Notes From The Shore
* Davis led the Jaspers on offense in the sweep of Monmouth, averaging a team-best 13.5 ppg with 5.0 rpg, 2.0 spg and 1.5 apg. 
* Watkins scored a season-high 17 points, fueled by five triples, in the opener.
* With her performance, she became the sixth different member of the Green & White to pace the team in scoring.
* Manhattan also forced a season-high 31 turnovers that led to 20 points.
* In the finale against, Davis scored 11 of the final 13 Jasper points, en route to finishing with a game-high 16.
* Manhattan registered double-figures in steals in each win, improving to 4-0 when doing so this season.

Scouting Fairfield
* The Stags are feature a balanced team, and are led by All-MAAC First Team selection Lou Lopez-Senechal (17.0 ppg).
* Kate Armstrong is the top post presence, checking in with 10.9 ppg and 6.6 rpg.
* Sam Lewis is arguably the top long-ball threat from deep, making good on 46.9 percent.
* Andrea Hernangomez was tabbed the MAAC Sixth Player of the Year, averaging 6.1 ppg and 5.0 rpg.
* Rachel Hakes facilitates the offense to the tune of 6.6 apg.

Saint Peter's MAAC Series Recap
* In the series-opener against Saint Peter's, all 11 Jaspers scored with a season-high four registering double-figures.
* Manhattan's reserves scored a season-high 26 points in the finale.
* The Jaspers also erased an early 11-point deficit thanks to shooting 41.6 percent from the floor, while assisting on 20 of their 26 field goals.

Balling From The Bench
* Watkins' aforementioned 17 points in the opener at Monmouth was the most by a Jasper reserve this year.
* Senior Sini Mäkelä made her first start of the season in the finale at Marist, scoring five points, after pulling down six rebounds in the opener. 
* Morgan scored nine points, fueled by three triples, in the finale vs. Quinnipiac and is shooting 46.7 percent (7-of-15) from deep.
* Sophomore Jenna Jordan scored seven points with four rebounds and three assists in the series-opening win over Iona.
* Freshman Nia Bailey scored the first four points of her career in the opener at Marist, and sparked a game-ending 24-10 run in the second win at Rider with a pair of assists and a free throw.
* Freshman Emma-Wilson Santos grabbed a career-high seven rebounds with three points in the first win vs. Saint Peter's.

In The All-Time Jasper Career Annals ...
* Warley is is fifth with 848 rebounds, just 12 behind Marianne Reilly (1978-82).
* She is also fifth in program history with 125 blocks, seven behind Eve Walters (1998-2003).
* Miceus, meanwhile, is right behind Warley in sixth with 100 rejections.
* Cajou is eighth with 350 assists, four behind Amani Tatum (2015-18). 

Notable From Rider
* Warley was dominant in Manhattan's sweep of Rider, averaging 16.5 ppg, 11.0 rpg and 3.5 spg, highlighted by going for 14 points and 13 rebounds in the finale.
* The Jaspers outscored Rider 60-36 in the paint for the weekend, while posting a 22-11 advantage in fastbreak points.
* Manhattan held the Broncs without a field goal in the second quarter of the finale
* Vulin became the sixth coach in program history to eclipse the 50-win plateau thanks to registering back-to-back victories.

Recruiting Pays Dividends
In each of the last two seasons, Vulin's recruiting classes paid immediate dividends as the Jaspers were paced in scoring each year by a freshman with Davis topping the charts in 2018-19 and LaPointe a year ago.

Preseason #1
Manhattan was selected as the MAAC Preseason No. 1 for the 2020-21 season. The Jaspers top the MAAC's preseason coaches poll for the first time in the modern era of the league. The no. 1 preseason ranking is also the Jaspers' highest since the 2002-03 season, when Manhattan was selected to finish second in the league. The Jaspers went on to win the MAAC Championship over Siena that season. 

Three's A Crowd
In addition to the team accolades, Warley and LaPointe were named to the Preseason All-MAAC First Team, while Cajou was tabbed to the Third Team.
The Newcomers
Manhattan welcomes three freshmen and one transfer for the 2019-20 season. 
* Jordan joins the squad from St. Francis Brooklyn, where she averaged 6.3 ppg, shooting 46.3 percent as a freshman.
* Bailey, who hails from New Rochelle, was named a 2019-20 Conference I All-Section selection, in addition to being named a Journal News/LoHud Girls Basketball Honorable Mention for Westchester and Putnam Counties. 
* Favour Mbeledeogu won the Pennsylvania District Three Class 2A championship as a member of the Linden Hall for Girls squad and also played for Raptors Academy (2016) and Deepbond Academy (2017). 
* Rounding out the newcomers is Wilson-Saltos, who is the first player out of Preston High School to play Division I basketball in 16 years.

United For Justice
For 2020-21, the MAAC launched its United for Justice campaign and will work both internally at the conference office and with all 11 member institutions to advance and execute strategies to combat racial injustices within our society. The MAAC and its member institutions will work to address the long-standing history of systemic racism and inequality that minorities in this country have and still currently face, with a goal to educate those around us and to create substantial change in our communities. The MAAC basketball programs have united to focus their messaging platform for the upcoming season on Black Lives Matter. Specifically, the coaches will be showcasing the BLM messaging on warm ups and uniform patches. 

#playGREEN
The Jaspers' team motto "playGREEN" is a concept developed by Vulin. For the team, playGREEN is a commitment to the pursuit of excellence. Vulin expects her players to have that mindset every day, as they play for their teammates, for their program, and to represent Manhattan College at a championship level. The Jaspers use #playGREEN on all of the team's social media channels.

Head Coach Heather Vulin
* Vulin was named the eighth head coach in Manhattan College program history on April 25, 2016. A 1999 graduate of Minnesota-Morris, she earned nearly two decades of coaching experience before arriving in Riverdale. She began her career as a graduate assistant at North Dakota State from 2000-02, then spent six seasons as an assistant coach at Sacred Heart from 2002-08. Vulin was on the staff at Villanova for seven seasons (2008-15) before spending the 2015-16 campaign as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Virginia Tech. She won her first game as a head coach against Holy Cross, defeating the Crusaders 60-56 on November 11, 2016, and her first MAAC game against Siena on December 30, 2016, when the Jaspers defeated the Saints 68-66.
* Vulin has continued to raise the standard for the women's basketball program since her arrival at Manhattan. She mentored Warley to the program's first MAAC First Team selection since 2011 and the program's second MAAC Defensive Player of the Year Award. In addition, she guided LaPointe to the unanimous 2019-20 MAAC Rookie of the Year award, and Cajou to the program's first MAAC Sixth Player of the Year award in 2018. 

The Coaching Staff
Vulin's staff consists of Allie Bassetti, Callan Taylor, Rena Wakama and Kiambra Griffin. 
* In her fifth season, Bassetti serves as an assistant coach and the team's recruiting coordinator. She joined Vulin at Manhattan after serving as the director of basketball operations at American from 2013-16. Also in her fifth season, Taylor was the 2011-12 NEC player of the year at Sacred Heart and played basketball professionally overseas. Wakama is in her fourth season with the Jaspers and her second as an assistant. A 2014 graduate of Western Carolina, she played professionally, making stops in the United Kingdom and the FIBA African Basketball League. Griffin joined the Jaspers last year as director of basketball operations. Prior to that, the 2018 Davidson grad was a GA at Columbia.

2019-20 Recap
Manhattan finished the 2019-20 regular season 15-14 (12-8 MAAC), tying for third place in the league rankings, the program's best conference finish since 2011. The Jaspers went 6-1 down the stretch, winning their last five games of the season en route to securing a #4 seed for the MAAC Tourney.

Warley's World
Warley earned unanimous 2020-21 Preseason All-MAAC First Team honors, after averaging 11.6 ppg and 8.7 rpg, while shooting 48.6 percent from the field and nabbing 2.4 spg (38th in NCAA Division I) on her way to becoming just the eighth player in program history to earn MAAC First Team honors. 

Trend Setter
Manhattan Athletic Director Marianne Reilly was the Jaspers' first-ever scholarship women's basketball player. She was also the first player in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau, finishing with 1,305 points, and was the first female inducted into the Manhattan College Athletic HOF

What's A Jasper?
Manhattan is the only athletic program in Division I with the "Jaspers" nickname. The unique moniker honors one of Manhattan's most memorable figures, Brother Jasper of Mary, F.S.C. Brother Jasper served Manhattan College in the late 1800s and was the first coach of Manhattan's baseball team. He is also credited as the creator of the "seventh-inning stretch," which has become a time-honored tradition at ballparks across the country. During a game in the 1880s, Brother Jasper noticed students getting restless in the middle of the seventh inning of a close game, so he called timeout and told the students to stand up a stretch for a few minutes before resuming the game. Since Manhattan regularly played the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds in the 1880s and into the 1890s, the tradition spread into the major leagues.

Up Next
With a win, Manhattan will play top-seeded Marist on Friday, March 12 at 11:00 am.