Brown University
2-3
Manhattan
3-1
Women's Basketball Falls to Manhattan on Late Free Throws, 58-57
11/22/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Sophomore forward Erika Steeves hit back-to-back 3-pointers inside of the final 1:35 and made a free throw to give the Bears a 57-56 lead with 3.2 seconds left, but two free throws from Nyasha Irizarry with 0.1 seconds to go lifted Manhattan College to a 58-57 win over Brown University women's basketball on Tuesday afternoon at the Pizzitola Sports Center.
Steeves (Montreal, Quebec) scored all seven of her points in the last 95 seconds of the game as the Bears (2-3) rallied from a 10-point deficit entering the fourth quarter before the Jaspers (3-1) pulled out the victory.
After Manhattan took a 51-49 lead with 1:49 to go, Steeves connected on a 3-pointer from the top of the key and then another from the left wing to push Brown ahead 55-51 with 56 seconds left. Manhattan's Kayla Grimme made it 55-53 with 43 seconds to play, but freshman Abby O'Keefe (St. Louis, Mo.) extended Brown's edge to 56-53 with 17.6 on the clock.
Irizarry then tallied a 3-pointer to tie the game at 56-56 with 10.8 seconds remaining. On the ensuing possession, Steeves corralled an offensive rebound and then gave the Bears a 57-56 edge with a free throw with 3.2 seconds to play. Irizarry drew a foul on the next play and converted both free throws with 0.1 seconds remaining.
Steeves added a team-high eight rebounds while sophomore guard Shayna Mehta (San Francisco, Calif.) netted a team-best 11 points – her fifth straight game in double figures to open the year – with four steals and three assists. Sophomore Taylor Will (Arlington Heights, Ill.) posted nine points.
Junior Megan Reilly (Norwood, N.J.) and freshman Kathleen Ryan (Clarence Center, N.Y.) each added eight points, and freshman Lames ElGammal (Baldwin, N.Y.) chipped in five boards and four points.
Brown's three setbacks this season have come by a combined nine points.
Trailing 45-35 entering the fourth quarter, the Bears used a pressure defense to get back into the game, forcing nine Manhattan turnovers in the final frame. Brown scored the fourth period's first eight points with O'Keefe, sophomore Mary Butler (Bangor, Maine), Ryan, and Will all making layups. A wing 3-pointer from O'Keefe cut Brown's deficit to 47-46 with 3:59 left, and Butler's layup off a pass inside from Steeves put the hosts on top, 48-47, capping a 13-2 run.
The Jaspers turned a 27-26 halftime deficit into a 43-32 advantage with 1:04 left in the third quarter following a 17-3 run. Manhattan brought its 45-35 edge into the fourth despite 3-pointers from Reilly and Mehta. The visitors held Brown to 3-of-17 shooting in the third.
Ryan and Will hit back-to-back 3-pointers to open the game before the Jaspers tied the game 8-8 at the 3:00 mark of the first quarter. The Bears then connected on eight straight free throws to pull ahead 16-8 with 52 seconds left in the frame and remained ahead 16-11 after one. Brown made 10-of-10 free throws in the quarter.
Manhattan took a 19-16 edge with 6:05 to go in the second quarter behind an 11-0 run prior to a baseline jumper from Ryan. A wing 3-pointer from Reilly, and a 17-foot jumper from Mehta inside of the half's final 1:54 gave the Bears a 27-26 halftime advantage. Brown connected on 12-of-12 free throws in the half.
For Manhattan, Grimme posted a double-double on 20 points and 10 rebounds alongside five blocks. Mikki Guiton registered 12 points and seven boards, Irizarry finished with 10 points, and Amani Tatum dished out a game-high eight assists. For the game, the Jaspers grabbed 20 offensive rebounds and held a 32-14 advantage in points in the paint.
Next, Brown plays at Binghamton on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. (ESPN3) prior to hosting the inaugural Ocean State Tip-Off Tournament from Dec. 3-4.
Video of all Brown women's basketball home contests and all Ivy League games, home and away, will be broadcast live on ILDN.TV/BROWN.
Tickets for all Brown women's basketball games can be purchased online, by calling the Brown Athletics Ticket Office at (401) 863-2773, or by walking up to the box office located in the Pizzitola Sports Center, open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
