Manhattan University Athletics

RIVERDALE, N.Y. – A pivotal week awaits the Manhattan women's basketball team this Saturday when they welcome Mount St. Mary's to Draddy Gym for both teams' MAAC opener this coming Saturday at 2 p.m. The Jaspers will then visit one of the top teams in the MAAC, Quinnipiac on Monday, Dec. 19  with a 6 p.m. tip off.

Fans wishing to attend the game against the Mount may purchase tickets HERE. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 and live stats will be provided HERE. For Mondays game, the game can be watched on ESPN+ and live stats will be provided HERE while tickets can be purchased HERE.

Manhattan (2-6) returns to Draddy after a trip to the Nation's Capital which resulted in a road setback at the hands of George Washington, 68-56. Bella Nascimento is in the midst of a solid streak, recording double-figures in the last four contests, including a career-high 23 points against Lindenwood in the GCU Thanksgiving Classic.

Since her return to the lineup against Howard, Petra Juric has recorded three double-doubles, including a 22-point, 12-board performance alongside Nascimento against Lindenwood. Against GW, Jade Blagrove recorded her first double-figure performance of the season, contributing 10 points and eight rebounds.  

The Mount is the newest member of the MAAC, with this year being its inaugural year after coming over from the NEC, where they won the conference last year and earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament.

They will arrive in Riverdale sporting an even 4-4 record. Two of those losses have come at the hands of D-I powerhouses Virginia Tech and NC State. All four of those losses on the Mount's record have come on the road, with the other two coming at the hands of Richmond and Cornell. Most recently, the Mountaineers earned a come-from-behind victory over UMBC, 63-57.

A player to keep an eye on for the Mount on Saturday will be Michaela Harrison, who is hot off a 30-point performance against the Retrievers. She has posted double-figures in six of the team's eight contests thus far, averaging 15.9 points. Natalie Villaflor has added 12.5 points per game alongside 3.8 rebounds per game.

As for the Bobcats, the last time these two teams played was in the semfinals of the MAAC Championship last year, which ended with Dee Dee Davis scoring her 1,000th point and a 72-59 win. This year, Quinnipiac enters the week at 5-4 and will play Iona before sharing the court with the Green and White. Last week, they went 1-1 with a win over the Yale Bulldogs but fell to Rhode Island. Like the Mount, Quinnipiac also lost to NC State, 82-45.

So far, the Bobcats are led by Cur'tiera Haywood, who is contributing 11.8 points per game while hauling in 4.2 rebounds a game. The other player averaging double figures is Jackie Grisdale. The sophomore is adding 10.1 points per game.

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