Jaspers To Host Army Friday Night

Riverdale, NY - Manhattan women's basketball will host Army on Friday, December 13 at 7:00 pm. Is it is the first meeting of the schools since 2014. 

GAME NOTES

Last Outing
Manhattan women's basketball erased a 13-point Fordham lead to go up by one in the third quarter on December 5, but the Rams eeked out a six-point 51-45 win in the 51st annual Battle of the Bronx, held in Draddy Gymnasium.

Emily LaPointe (Staten Island, NY / Staten Island Academy) led the Jasper offense with 13 points, shooting 4-9 from the field and 2-3 from three, while adding four rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block on the night. Courtney Warley (West Chester, PA / Bishop Shanahan) pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds, her second double-figure rebounding performance of the season.

Top Performers
LaPointe earned her second MAAC Rookie of the Week award on December 9 after leading Manhattan in scoring against Fordham. She is one of just two freshman in the MAAC to earn the honor multiple times this season (the other is Niagara's Adia Brisker). LaPointe ranks second in scoring for the squad with 9.4 points per game, and scored a career-high 18 points at Villanova on November 21, paving the way for her first MAAC Rookie of the Week honor in November.

Warley ranks fourth in the MAAC for rebounding (7.4 per game) and 20th for scoring (9.6 points per game). With 1.9 steals per game, she is sixth in the league. Sophomore guard Sydney Watkins (Wanaque, NJ / Saddle River Day) ranks fourth in the MAAC for three-point field-goal percentage this season, shooting .438 from behind the arc. Against Dartmouth on December 1, Watkins scored a career-high 20 points, going 7-12 from the floor and 6-11 from three.

Team Rankings
The Jaspers currently rank second in the MAAC in scoring defense, allowing 61.1 points per game. Manhattan also leads the league in three-point field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to .300 shooting behind the arc. The Jaspers average 3.1 blocks (second in the MAAC) and 8.4 steals (second in the MAAC) per game.
 
About Army
Army is 3-6 on the season, with wins against Air Force, Fairleigh Dickinson (double overtime) and LIU (overtime). This season, Army has earned four Rookie of the Week honors from the Patriot League, including two awards for freshman Sabria Hunter, who is averaging 10 points and a team-high 8.6 rebounds per game. Alisa Fallon, the Black Knights' leading scorer with 12.6 points per game, was named Patriot League Player of the Week on December 2 after averaging 17.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and a .500 field-goal percentage over two games.

Previous Meeting
Manhattan and Army last met on November 22, 2014 in Draddy Gymnasium, with the Black Knights taking an 81-49 win. Army went on to the Patriot League semifinals that season and played in the first round of the WNIT tournament, losing to St. John's 64-56. 

All-Time Series
The all-time series between Manhattan and Army is tied at 8-8, with Army taking the last four match-ups. While this is Jasper Head Coach Heather Vulin's first game against the Black Knights, Army Head Coach Dave Magarity is 5-2 against Manhattan.

Ugly Christmas Sweaters
Friday's game is the Jaspers' Ugly Christmas Sweater night, with coaches from both teams donning their best festive outfits. Fans wearing an Ugly Christmas Sweater to the game will receive free admission and a chance to win prizes.