Nov. 29, 2008

Sacred Heart vs. Manhattan Game Notes in PDF Format

Sacred Heart Pioneers (0-4, 0-0 NEC) vs. Manhattan Jaspers (1-5, 0-0 MAAC)

Game #5 - Sunday, November 30, 2008 - 2:00 pm - Riverdale, N.Y. - Draddy Gymnasium (2,345)

Multimedia: Live Stats

The Storyline... The Sacred Heart women's basketball team will close out the month of the November with a road trip to Manhattan College on Sunday afternoon. Both the Pioneers and Jaspers are looking to snap losing streaks as SHU is still in the hunt for their first win of 2008-09 after an 0-4 start. The Pioneers are coming off a tough 77-75 loss at home to Lehigh on Tuesday night. SHU got 31 points from sophomore Alisa Apo and a double double, 21 points and 10 rebounds, from freshman Callan Taylor but no other Pioneer could muster more then seven points in the loss. The Pioneers will close out a stretch that saw them play four of their first five games on the road to start the season. The Jaspers have lost five-straight after a win over St. Francis-NY in their season-opener.

Series... Sunday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between the Pioneers and Jaspers on the hardwood.

The Coaches... Ed Swanson (SHU `89) is in his 19th season as head coach at his alma mater. Swanson posts a 297-217 record in his career at Sacred Heart. His teams have a 171-98 record since joining the Division I ranks in 1999-00. Swanson is the program's longest tenured coach and is the all-time leader in coaching wins, (297) and winning percentage (.579). He has twice been named the NEC Coach of the Year and is four conference wins away from becoming the league's all-time leader in regular season win. Myndi Hill (Heidelberg, `91) is in her sixth season on the Manhattan bench. Hill has led the Jaspers to a 60-94 record in her six years and owns a 134-140 record in her 10 seasons as a head coach. Prior to coming to Manhattan, Hill spent four seasons at Saint Francis (PA) where she won three Northeast Conference titles and posted 74 victories.

SHU vs. the MAAC... Since joining the Northeast Conference in 1999-2000, the Pioneers are 5-3 against the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. SHU saw a four-game winning streak against the league snapped last season in a 58-56 loss at Fairfield and have now lost two-straight after a 59-58 overtime loss to the Stags earlier this season. The Pioneers are 10-18 all-time against schools that are currently in the MAAC. SHU has faced Fairfield University more than any other team from the MAAC posting a 0-2 record against the Stags, 4-7 during their Division II days. Iona holds a 5-2 mark over Sacred Heart while the Pioneers are 2-0 against Rider. Saint Peter's College is the only other team the Pioneers have faced from the league with the Peacocks 4-2 all-time against SHU. The Pioneers will meet Manhattan for the first time this season.

Scouting the Jaspers... The Manhattan Jaspers posted a 63-59 win over fellow NEC member St. Francis (NY) in their season-opener but have since dropped their last five heading into Sunday's match-up with the Pioneers. The Jaspers are coming off a 69-50 loss at the hands of Vermont on Friday as they are now in the midst of a four-game homestand at Draddy Gymnasium and heading into a pair of MAAC match-ups next weekend with Loyola and Saint Peter's. Senior center Kelly Regan is the team's leading scorer and only player in double figures, averaging 12.0 points per game. She is shooting 47.5% (29-61) on the year. As a team, the Jaspers are averaging 57.5 points per game and shooting just 29.3% (34-116) from behind the arc and 58.3% (49-84) at the free throw line. Manhattan was picked eighth in the MAAC Preseason Poll.

Last Meeting with Manhattan... Sunday is the first meeting between the two schools.

Last Time Out... Sacred Heart sophomore Alisa Apo poured in a career-high 31 points as the Pioneers battled back from down 14 points in the first half but came up just short in a 77-75 loss to Lehigh in their home opener on Tuesday. Freshman Callan Taylor recorded her first career double double with 21 points and 10 rebounds in the loss. The Mountain Hawks got 21 points from guard Erica Prosser to drop the Pioneers to 0-4 to start the year. The Pioneers had the hot hand early on as both teams traded the lead four times over the first 10 minutes. SHU led 16-13 with 11:26 on the clock but the Sacred Heart offense hit a funk and Lehigh responded by ripping off a 16-0 run over the game's next eight minutes. Lehigh's lead hit its high mark at 14 points, 31-17, with 3:27 left before the half. The second half saw a different Pioneer offense take the court as SHU shot 57.1% (16-28) from the floor and twice battled back from double digit deficits. The Pioneers cut the deficit down to four and then to two with under a minute to play, 73-71. Needing a stop, the Pioneers couldn't get one as Tricia Smith hit a runner in the lane to extend it back to four and Courtney Dentler hit a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left to keep it a four-point game. Apo pulled SHU to within two with her final hoop of the game with one tick left on the clock. Apo finished the game nine-of-16 from the field and four-of-six behind the arc. She hit nine-of-12 at the line and had four assists, three rebounds, a steal and a block. Taylor's first career double double came on hitting seven-of-11 from the field and two-of-three from behind the line. The Pioneers out shot the Mountain Hawks on the night, 46.2% (24-52) to 44.6% (25-56) but were out rebounded 39-30. Lehigh had 15 offensive caroms leading to 15 second chance points.

Slow Start... The Pioneers are off to an 0-4 start to the 2008-09 season as they travel to Manhattan looking to snap the skid. This is the first time since the 1984-85 season a Pioneer team has opened 0-4 and the first time in Head Coach Ed Swanson's 19 years. SHU was 1-3 in 1997-98, 1999-00, 2000-01 and 2006-07 under Coach Swanson.

Home Cooking... Sacred Heart opened this season with four of their first five games on the road including a season-opening swing through Kansas and Marquette. SHU ends their travels on Sunday as they play their next three at home starting with Stony Brook on Wednesday night. The Pioneers will close out the 2008 calender year by playing five of seven in the friendly confines of the William H. Pitt Center.

Frosh Taylor Notches First Double Double... Freshman forward Callan Taylor is off to a stellar start to her collegiate career just four games in. Taylor is coming off her first career double double after posting 21 points and 10 rebounds coming off the bench against Lehigh. Taylor, who missed the second half of the Fairfield game with an ankle injury, battled back to play 35 minutes against the Mountain Hawks, shooting seven-of-11 from the field, two-of-three behind the arc and five-of-five at the line. On the year, she is second on the team scoring 12.3 points per game to go with 6.0 rebounds per outing. She leads the team and is third in the NEC hitting 54.5% (6-11) from three. She is also the team leader at the charity stripe knocking down 86.7% (13-15), sixth among league leaders.

Alisa Apo Has the Hot Hand on Offense... Sophomore Alisa Apo, last season's NEC Rookie of the Year, hasn't missed a beat in 2008-09 averaging 16.8 points per game in the early going. Apo is coming off a career-high 31 point outing against Lehigh where she hit nine-of-16 from the field, four-of-six from three and nine-of-12 at the line. Apo is shooting 82.8% (24-29) at the free throw line has gotten to the line and made more free throws then any other player in the NEC.

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