NEW YORK (Interstat) — Manhattan used a decisive stretch bridging halftime to pull away from visiting Pace for a 67-42 women’s NCAA Division I basketball victory on Monday at Draddy Gymnasium. The Lady Jaspers improved to 1-0. Pace was a non-divisional opponent. Attendance was 187.

Laura Ring led Manhattan with 18 points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 25 minutes. Amanda Baumgarte added 12 points, eight rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes. Ana Zesati finished with 11 points and four rebounds in 16 minutes. Celeste Harper, a 5-foot-8 guard from Englewood, N.J., who previously attended Academy of the Holy Angels, had eight points and four assists in 23 minutes. Taylah Murtagh contributed nine points, four rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes. Olivia Grgicevich Lassey had three rebounds, four assists and one block in 21 minutes. Laia Izquierdo Altimira added one point, four rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes. Kennedy Brown had two points and one assist in nine minutes. Cortney Howell scored four points with one rebound in eight minutes. Ruzgar Christina Boyle scored two points with one rebound in 13 minutes.

Manhattan finished with 67 points on 75 possessions and an offensive rating of 89.6. The Lady Jaspers had seven offensive rebounds, 14 assists, three blocks and 19 turnovers.

Pace opened with early baskets after Cali Chiocchi hit a 3-pointer and Nicole Riemer made a hook shot. Manhattan answered with layups from Ring, a 3-pointer from Harper and a hook shot and layup from Zesati to take a 16-11 lead after the first quarter. Syniya Barton’s pullup jump shot brought Pace within five at the end of the opening period.

The most important stretch came late in the first half and early in the second half. After Pace pulled within 16-11 at the end of the first quarter, Manhattan closed the half with a 15-6 run. Ring hit two 3-pointers in the run, Baumgarte made three layups, and Izquierdo Altimira added a free throw. Barton made a pullup for Pace, but Ring’s pullup jumper gave Manhattan a 31-17 halftime lead.

The Lady Jaspers then opened the third quarter with a 14-4 spurt to stretch the margin to 45-21. Baumgarte made a layup, Ring hit a 3-pointer, Murtagh made a pullup and a 3-pointer, and Baumgarte added a free throw. Pace answered with a hook shot from Riemer and consecutive baskets from Claire Fitzpatrick, including a 3-pointer, but Zesati’s layup sent Manhattan into the fourth quarter with a 50-27 advantage.

Pace continued to score in the fourth. Riemer made a jump shot and later scored on back-to-back layups. Chiocchi added a driving layup, Megan Wresien made a stepback jumper, Jillian Carter scored on a layup and Tasia Hamilton-Luke made a free throw. Manhattan countered with free throws from Howell, a layup from Howell, a layup from Brown, a floating jump shot from Boyle and a 3-pointer from Harper at the end. The finish capped Manhattan’s home victory.

Manhattan’s next 10 games are at Albany, against Bryant, at Fairleigh Dickinson, against Fordham, at Long Island, against Northern Illinois in Miami, against Le Moyne, against NJIT, against Central Connecticut and against Fairfield.