RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Manhattan women's basketball took home a 66-56 victory over Iona on Senior Day at Draddy Gymnasium.
Manhattan jumps to 18-11 overall and 11-9 in league play, while Iona falls to 11-18 and 6-14 in the MAAC.
Manhattan was led by Petra Juric who scored 20 points and picked up six rebounds. Leyla Ozturk picked up 10 points and four boards for the Jaspers.
Iona was led by Natalia Otkhmezuri who scored 15 points. Sierra DeAngelo added 12 for the Gaels.
"I was impressed with how we fought back in the second half after a lackluster first half," said Head Coach Heather Vulin. "We challenged them at halftime to be more aggressive offensively and they responded with 40 second half points. I'm excited to see what we can do in Atlantic City. We'll be ready to play."
Iona came out hot, starting the game up 11-2. The Jaspers would spend the rest of the first quarter closing the gap, pushing the score to 16-14 Iona by the end of the quarter. The teams would trade leads in the second quarter with no team leading by more than five in the quarter. The half would end with back to back Iona baskets allowing them to escape the half with a 27-26 lead.
The third quarter would continue to be played close, with Manhattan slowly making up ground. Manhattan would score the final three baskets of the quarter, giving them a 44-40 lead going into the final frame. Early in the fourth quarter, the game stayed relatively even as the Jaspers led 50-47 with 6:30 remaining in the contest. Manhattan would get a crucial three-pointer from Anne Bair, followed by a jumper from Ines Gimenez Monserrat to push the lead to eight. The teams continued to trade baskets with Iona cutting the lead back to five with 1:06 remaining. Jade Blagrove immediately answered with a layup and the defense would come up with a stop, ultimately securing the victory.
This victory concludes the regular season for Manhattan, as they will move on to postseason play in the MAAC tournament next week in Atlantic City. The Jaspers will be the #4 seed and will play their first game on Thursday, March 14th at 3:30 p.m. against Canisius in the quarterfinals.
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