Feb. 28, 2010
Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. - A late 6-2 run by Manhattan proved to be the difference Sunday at Draddy Gymnasium, as the Lady Jaspers defeated Marist 65-62. The Red Foxes close the regular season with a 23-7 record and 15-3 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Rachele Fitz (Seven Hills, Ohio) each scored 17 points to lead Marist.
Best's 17 points are a new career-high for the sophomore guard. She finished the game 7-of-10 from the field with three three-pointers. Fitz made 9-of-12 free throws and had seven rebounds. Kate Oliver (Sydney, Australia) scored 12 points on 5-of-8 shots from the field and had four rebounds. Erica Allenspach (Miamisburg, Ohio) and Corielle Yarde (Leesport, Pa.) each had eight points and five assists.
Marist opened the game red-hot from the field, making eight of its first nine shots from the field. A Fitz layup with 12:31 to go in the half put the Red Foxes up nine 18-9. Manhattan (15-14, 10-8 MAAC) then got back-to-back three-pointers from Michelle Pacheco to make the deficit three, 18-15, with 11:46 remaining in the opening half. Fitz put the Red Foxes up by five at the 10:19 mark, as her layup made the score 22-17. Pacheco then ran off four straight points to get the Lady Jaspers within one, 22-21, with 8:32 left in the first.
Manhattan took its first lead of the game at the 6:26 mark when a Kerri White triple put the home team ahead 24-22. Marist tied the game up at 24-24 on a pair of Fitz free throws at the 5:43 mark. The Lady Jaspers took the lead back 21 seconds later on an Abby Wentworth three-pointer. The Red Foxes responded with four straight points from Fitz to take a 28-27 lead with 4:13 to go in the half. The lead changed hands twice more before the end of the half, with a pair of free throws by Nadia Peters giving Manhattan a 31-30 halftime lead.
The Red Foxes took the lead right back to start the second half. Back-to-back threes by Best and Allenspach started a 14-2 run for Marist, giving them a 44-33 lead with 16:00 to go in the game. Manhattan answered the Red Foxes' run with a 12-3 run of its own over the next 3:53. Pacheco scored the last five points of the run to cut the deficit to two, 47-45, with 12:07 left. Marist got the lead back up to five, 50-45, with 11:53 remaining on a Best three-pointer but Manhattan then scored the next seven points to take a 52-50 lead with 7:43 to go.
The two teams then traded three-pointers with Best and Yarde matching Pacheco. Yarde's three at the 5:40 mark put the Red Foxes ahead 56-55. Wentworth then split a pair of free throws to tie the game 56-56 with 5:20 to go. Oliver made a baseline jumper on Marist's next possession to put the Red Foxes up 58-56. Manhattan took the lead back at the 4:04 mark as a Lindsey Loutsenhizer three-pointer made the score 59-58.
After a pair of Oliver free throws gave Marist a 60-59 lead, Pacheco scored four straight points to put the Lady Jaspers ahead 63-60 with 43 seconds remaining. Best hit a jumper with 36 seconds left to cut the lead to one, 63-62. Marist had a chance to take the lead with 24 seconds left, but Allenspach's free-throw line jumper rimmed out. Loutsenhizer made two free throws with six seconds left to make the score 65-62. The Red Foxes had one last chance to tie the game but could not connect on a corner three-pointer at the buzzer.
Marist shot 43.1% from the field, holding Manhattan to 38.6%. The Lady Jaspers outrebounded the Red Foxes 34-31 and forced 14 Marist turnovers. Pacheco led all scorers with a career-high 28 points. Loutsenhizer added 14 points and five rebounds. Peters had 10 points, making 6-of-7 free throws.
The Red Foxes enter the 2010 Citizens Bank MAAC Basketball Championship as the #1 seed. It will take on either Canisius or Saint Peter's in the quarterfinals Friday, March 5th at 1:30 p.m. at the Times Union Center in Albany.
