Game Notes
GAME #3: Manhattan Jaspers (2-0) at Buffalo Bulls (2-0)
Saturday, November 19, 2016 - 7:00 PM
Buffalo, NY - Alumni Arena (9,000)
Video: ESPN3
Live Stats
TODAY'S GAME
Manhattan (2-0), which is off to its best start in 13 years, hits the road for the first time this season to take on Buffalo (2-0) in a Saturday afternoon matchup that will be broadcast live on ESPN3. The Jaspers notched a 63-57 victory over Yale on Tuesday night. The Bulls (2-0), meanwhile, are facing their second straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) opponent. The defending Mid-American Conference (MAC) champions beat Niagara, 73-63, on Wednesday. This is the start of a span where the Jaspers play six out of eight away from Draddy Gymnasium.
ABOUT THE JASPERS
The Jaspers (2-0) are off to their best start since the 2003-04 season. Manhattan is coming off a 63-57 victory over Yale on Tuesday night. Junior guard Amani Tatum, a Preseason First Team All-MAAC choice, had a career-high 20 points in the victory. She averages 13.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.0 steals per game. Senior guard Maeve Parahus is the Jaspers' leading scorer with 16.0 points per outing. Parahus also drains 3.5 three-pointers a night and is shooting .583 from beyond the arc. Junior center Mikki Guiton contributes 9.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest, while junior guard Taylor Williams tallies 7.5 points a night. Junior center Kayla Grimme, meanwhile, registers 7.0 points per game to go along with team-leading totals of 9.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per outing. This is the beginning of a span where the Jaspers play six out of eight on the road. Manhattan visits Brown (2-1) on Tuesday.
ABOUT THE BULLS
Buffalo (2-0), the defending Mid-American Conference (MAC) champions, picked up home wins over Massachusetts and Niagara in its first two games. The Bulls defeated the Purple Eagles by a 73-63 count on Wednesday night. Four Bulls are averaging double-figures in the scoring column, led by senior guard JoAnna Smith's 13.0 points per game. Freshman forward Summer Hemphill adds 11.5 points and a team-leading 8.5 rebounds per contest off the bench, while junior center Cassie Oursler also registers 11.5 points per outing. Sophomre guard Gabi Bade, meanwhile, is Buffalo's top three-point shooter. She tallies 11.0 points per game and sinks 3.0 treys a night. Junior guard Katherine Ups adds 9.0 points per contest, and junior guard Stephanie Reid distributes 5.5 assists per outing to lead the Bulls. Buffalo, which opened the season with three straight at home, plays its first road game at Duquesne (2-1) on Tuesday.
SERIES HISTORY
Buffalo has won both previous meetings between the teams. The Bulls notched a 61-45 victory over the Jaspers on Nov. 18, 2006 as part of the St. Bonaventure Shootout in Elmira, NY. Buffalo also recorded a 68-58 triumph at Draddy Gymnasium on Dec. 19, 2014. That was also Manhattan's last meeting against a team from the Mid-American Conference. This marks the first time that the squads are squaring off in Buffalo.
LAST TIME OUT
Amani Tatum had a career-high 20 points, all in the second half, as the Jaspers recorded a 63-57 win over Yale at Draddy Gymnasium on Tuesday. With the victory, Manhattan moved to 2-0 for the first time since 2003-04. Yale led 27-26 at halftime, but Tatum scored seven points in a 1:31 stretch to put the Jaspers up 33-32. She had 14 points in the third quarter alone, as Manhattan took a 47-40 cushion into the final period. After Yale began the fourth quarter on a 9-0 run, the Jaspers went back in front on a Tatum trey, and she sank three foul shots with 1:42 remaining to increase the lead to four in an eventual 63-57 victory. Maeve Parahus had 13 points, while Kayla Grimme tallied seven points and three blocks to go along with 12 rebounds. Taylor Williams added seven points off the bench.