RIVERDALE, N.Y. -
The Manhattan College women's basketball team is headed back to the
postseason. The Jaspers (16-15) have accepted a bid to play in the
Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI) for the second straight season and
will host Robert Morris (18-13) in the first round at 7 p.m. on
Wednesday at Draddy Gymnasium.
This marks the first
time in program history that the Jaspers will play in the postseason in
back-to-back years. Manhattan reached the semifinals of the WBI last
season, defeating Sacred Heart and Wright State before falling to
eventual champion UAB.
The Jaspers placed
third in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) this season,
posting a 10-8 conference record. Manhattan is led by Second Team
All-MAAC selection Lindsey Loutsenhizer (North Huntingdon, Pa.), who averages 11.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.2 steals per game. Schyanne Halfkenny (Hyde
Park, Mass.) was named to the All-MAAC Third Team after posting 10.9
points and 4.8 boards per contest. Manhattan's all-time blocks leader, Nadia Peters (Bronx, N.Y.) records 1.1 blocks per game to go along with 4.8 rebounds and 2.1 steals per outing.
Robert Morris
finished fourth in the Northeast Conference (NEC) this season and lost
to eventual conference champion Sacred Heart in the semifinals of the
NEC Tournament. The Colonials are led by Artemis Spanou, who averages a
double-double with 17.0 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Spanou was a
First Team All-NEC selection. Mary Durojaye averages 12.8 points and
8.1 rebounds per outing, while Briannica Tye also contributes 12.8
points per game to go along with 5.2 assists and 2.4 steals per
contest. Robert Morris Head Coach Sal Buscaglia was the Jaspers' mentor
for five seasons, and he guided Manhattan to its most recent NCAA
Tournament appearance in 2003.
While his will be
the first-ever meeting between the Jaspers and Colonials, Robert Morris
will be the fourth different NEC team to visit Draddy Gymnasium this
season. The Jaspers are 3-0 against the conference in 2011-12, having
knocked off Monmouth, St. Francis (NY) and NEC champion Sacred Heart.
The Manhattan-Robert
Morris winner will face the winner of the matchup between New Hampshire
and Holy Cross in the quarterfinals on either March 17 or 18. The
semifinals are scheduled for March 21-22, with the championship game set
for March 25. All games will be played on the campus of one of the
participating teams.