Box Score JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Manhattan rallied back from a double-digit deficit to defeat Saint Peter's 69-66 in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference women's basketball contest on Saturday afternoon.
Antonia Smith (Bronx, N.Y. / Dwight School) paced Saint Peter's (3-24, 3-14 MAAC) with 17 points and seven assists. Sajanna Bethea (Levittown, Pa. / Pennsbury ) and Talah Hughes (Beacon, N.Y. / Beacon) both posted double-double performances in the losing effort.
Shayna Ericksen fueled Manhattan (3-24, 2-15 MAAC) with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Kayla Grimme finished with 12 points while Blake Underhill totaled 11 assists in the win.
Manhattan came back from a double-digit halftime deficit to earn the win and split the season-series.
Trailing 39-28 heading out of halftime, the Jaspers outscored the Peacocks 27-16 to knot the game at 55 with 5:06 remaining on the clock. Manhattan took its first lead of the game since the opening minutes following a layup from Underhill at the 4:25 mark.
The Peacocks regained the lead with a 3-pointer form Hala Mostafa (Cairo, Egypt / Modern Narmer Language School). Manhattan countered with back-to-back triples to take a 63-58 advantage with 2:57 left to play.
The two teams traded baskets, with the Jaspers holding a 67-65 edge. Following a foul from Manhattan, Mostafa hit 1-of-2 from the line to cut the margin with 13 seconds left to play. Manhattan hit two from the line to extend its lead 69-66 with 11 seconds to go. Saint Peter's had an opportunity at the end, but failed to convert, giving Manhattan the win.
Saint Peter's scored a season-high 39 points in the first half, shooting 57.1% from the field. The Peacocks opened up its largest lead of 13 points at the 2:41 mark following a 3-ball from Smith to give the team a 34-21 advantage en route to a 39-28 halftime lead. Smith fueled the first half with 16 points.
Mostafa finished with 12 points, five rebounds, two assists and one block, while Alyssa Velles (Franklin, Conn. / Norwich Free Academy) recorded 11 points and six rebounds.
Saint Peter's returns to action on Feb. 26 for Senior Day and its "Play 4 Kay" game against Marist. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
