COLUMBUS, Ohio — Canisius women’s basketball takes on the No. 12 Ohio State Buckeyes on Sunday.
The Golden Griffins prepare for a five-game road-swing spanning the month of Dec. into early Jan., as the squad kicks it off with a Sunday showdown with Ohio State. Game time against the Buckeyes is 2 p.m. and will be aired online at BTNPlus.
The Griffs just finished up a four game home stand, which began on Nov. 26 against Lamar and wrapped up against Buffalo on Dec. 8. The Blue and Gold went 1-3 on the series at home, with its lone win coming against Monmouth (74-54) on Dec. 4. The Bulls got out to a 20-13 lead in the first quarter and never trailed against the Griffs on Thursday, as the Canisius offense came up cold against a stout Buffalo defense, shooting just 32.7 percent form the field for the game. Canisius did attempt to keep pace, having four players reach double figures, coming from the usual suspects this season. Sara Hinriksdottir hit double figures for the sixth-straight game, leading the way with 12 points, to go along with four rebounds. Also hitting double-figures was Saliah Serrette (11 points), Sarah Cooley (10 points) and Maria Welch (10 points). Rebounding was also a major issue for the Blue and Gold as the Bulls came down with 50 boards to Canisius’ 29.
Coming into the weekend the Griffs are led by Hinriksdottir who averages 14 points per game. All-told Canisius has four players averaging double figures, with Lauren D’Hont (11.8 ppg), Serrette (10.4 ppg), and Welch (10.1 ppg) joining Hinriksdottir. The Griffs focus will be on the defensive side, trying to bring down its rebounding margin. Canisius averages 33.0 rebounds per game while opponents are bringing down 42.2 boards per contest.
Canisius has a relatively short history with the Buckeyes, having played twice under head coach Terry Zeh. The Blue and Gold is currently 0-2 against Ohio State. The first meeting came back in 2005, as the squad fell 90-58. At the time the Buckeyes were ranked No. 6 in the nation. Canisius had an opportunity for revenge on Dec. 10, 2011, as the squads met again in Columbus, Ohio. However the Griffs fell in the match up, 84-41. Both match ups came on the road for Canisius, while the two teams have never met at a neutral site or at the Koessler Athletic Center.
Ohio State enters the game 7-3 overall and has won two-straight following a 108-73 victory over Southern last Thursday. OSU is ranked No. 12 in both the AP poll and the Coaches Poll.
from GoGriffs.com via IFTTT
