Hoop Odyssey: Siena Women Earn 1st League Win

Game 3 in the four-games-in-four days Hoop Odyssey in New York's Capital Region.

Manhattan women at Siena, noon on Sunday at Albany's Times Union Center.

Siena uses its advantages both in size and quickness to full advantage, particularly early in the  second half as it runs out to a 20-point, 59-39, lead over the Jaspers with just 3:39 remaining in the game.

And, then, Manhattan made things interesting down the stretch, scoring on eight of its next 10 possessions in a "scramble" mode.

Siena did a poor job of running the shot clock late in the game, getting sped up by an effective Manhattan pressure defense in the final minutes and taking ... and missing ... quick shots or committing turnovers.

It enabled the Jaspers to get within five on Allison Skrec's driving basket with 28 seconds remaining.

Were it not for two made free throws by Siena's Ciera Stewart (on a one-and-one opportunity), after a quick Manhattan foul, the Jaspers might have made things even more interesting.

Instead, Siena held on for a 62-55 victory.

Observations:

- Siena had started 0-3 in MAAC play, it's first 0-3 start to a women's league season since the school joined the conference in 1989.

- Siena entered the game shooting only 32.2 percent from the field, 11th-worst nationally of 343 Division I teams. On Sunday, though, it made 40 percent of its shots (20-of-50) for the first time this season. Key field-goal contributor was junior forward Kate Zarotney, who went a perfect 7-of-7 from the floor.

- Siena's sophomore guard Ida Krogh had a game-high 10 assists, the first double-figure assist total by a Siena player in six seasons.

- Manhattan's junior guard Monica Roeder had a game-high 19 points, but needed to take 22 shots (6-of-22) to get her points.