RIVERDALE, N.Y. - With the 2010-11 school year about to begin, the Manhattan College women's basketball team will be spending its final week of summer North of the Border. The Lady Jaspers will play three games against local universities during a week-long tour of Montreal and Ottawa from August 22-28.
The Lady Jaspers play their first game of the trip on Monday, Aug. 23, when they visit the University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM) for a 7 p.m. contest. UQAM, a French-speaking institution, finished 9-7 during the 2009-10 season. The Citadins lost to Maine, 74-73, in an exhibition game on Wednesday night.
After getting a chance to do some sightseeing in Montreal, Manhattan heads to Ottawa, Canada's capital city, for a pair of games on Aug. 26-27. First, the Lady Jaspers take on the University of Ottawa at 7 p.m. on Aug. 26. The Gee-Gees went 15-7 in 2009-10 and finished second in the Ontario University Athletics East division. The following night, Manhattan plays Carleton University at 7p.m. Carleton finished just behind Ottawa last season, going 14-8. The Ravens took on Tennessee-Martin on Tuesday night and dropped a 96-57 decision.
NCAA rules allow teams to make a foreign trip once every four years. However, a recent rules change gives teams the opportunity to take the trip later in the summer (just prior to the school year), allowing incoming freshmen to participate. This gives newcomers Jazmine Jarvis (Henderson, Nev.), Brandone Roberts (Jessup, Md.), Monica Roeder (Marlton, N.J.) and Allison Skrec (Roselle, N.Y.) the chance to suit up in a Manhattan uniform before the regular season officially begins on Nov. 12.
Since the games are being hosted by the Canadian institutions, international rules will be used. Among the differences are the shot clock (24 seconds as opposed to 30), size of the free throw lane (trapezoid rather than rectangular), three-point distance (the international distance is three inches closer than the NCAA men's line and nearly a foot farther than the NCAA women's line), and game duration (four 10-minute quarters instead of two 20-minute halves).
A different member of the team will be blogging about her experiences each day at www.gojaspers.com. The "North of the Border Blog" will also feature photos of the trip, as well as a recap of each game.
To follow Manhattan Athletics on Twitter, go to twitter.com/GoJaspers or visit Manhattan's Facebook fan page.
