BUFFALO — After spending much of the season on the road in 2016-17, the Blue and Gold get a chance to settle into a month that features five of its eight games to be played, at the Koessler Athletic Center.
It comes at a critical time of the season as well, as the Griffs enter the contest with a 6-15 overall mark and a 5-7 MAAC record. Each games’ importance is heightened with the ability to change the standings as the Griffs try to improve in a wide-open MAAC. The Griffs failed to move up the standings last weekend, going 0-2 against Siena and Marist last weekend.
On Thursday Canisius failed to hold onto the basketball throughout the game, recording a season-high 29 turnovers in a 67-42 loss to the Saints. Against Marist, the defense was again a source of concern, as strong effort by Lauren D’Hont, who scored 19 points, was wasted, as the Blue and Gold dropped its contest to Marist, 67-60. Leading the team offensively is Sara Hinriksdottir who averages 14.7 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per contest. She also shoots near 50 percent with a mark of 46.3 percent from the field. D’Hont is second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.5 points per game, to go along with a 4.1 rebound per contest mark. Also flirting with a double-digit average is Margret Halfdanardottir, who averages 9.8 per contest. The long-range specialist is shooting 40.6 percent from beyond the arc. Tamara Miskovic is the team’s assist leader, averaging 2.9 helpers per contest this season. As a team the Blue and Gold is averaging 60.4 points per game, while opponents are tallying 66.6 points per contest. The team is also ranked second in the MAAC in shooting percentage, with a mark of 41.6 percent from the field.
The Jaspers (7-14, 3-9 MAAC) posted a 57-44 victory over Saint Peter’s on Monday and are looking for their third win in their last four outings. Junior center Kayla Grimme is averaging 21.8 points and 11.0 rebounds over Manhattan’s last four games. She leads the team with 12.8 points and 7.5 boards per contest. Grimme also ranks second in the MAAC with 1.7 blocks per outing. Junior guard Amani Tatum adds 11.1 points and 4.1 rebounds a night to go along with a team-best 4.3 assists and 3.0 steals per game. Junior center Mikki Guiton contributes 6.2 points per contest, while senior guard Maeve Parahus tallies 6.0 points per outing. She also drains a team-best 1.5 three-pointers a night and is shooting .352 from downtown. Manhattan, which is in the middle of a span where it plays five out of six on the road, completes its Western New York trip with a 3 p.m. visit to Niagara (5-16, 2-10 MAAC) on Saturday.
The Griffs come into this contest holding a 32-27 lead over the Jaspers in the all-time series history. This is the second time these two teams met, with the first coming just after the New Year. Canisius bested Manhattan on its home court on Jan. 2, winning, 62-57. Sara Hinriksdottir was a force in the contest, notching 20 points and tallying seven rebounds. Margret Halfdanardottir (12 points) and Lauren D’Hont (12 points) also chipped in on the offensive end. Home court has been an advantage for both teams as the Griffs lead at the KAC, 20-7 while the Jaspers hold a 16-11 lead at Draddy Gymnasium. In tournament play, Manhattan has gotten the best of the Blue and Gold, holding a 4-1 lead, with the only recent MAAC game coming in 2005, as a Zeh-led squad won 60-54. Terry Zeh has gotten the better of Manhattan in his time as head coach of the Golden Griffins. Zeh is 15-11 overall against the Jaspers and has dominated them at home 9-3.
Sara Hinriksdottir has been the story of the year so far for Canisius and is tracking to have a historic year for the Blue and Gold. The sophomore is averaging 14.7 points per game, which is the most a Canisius leader in points has averaged since the 2008-09 season when Marie Warner averaged 16.0 points per game. Hinriksdottir has tallied 309 total points has already surpassed last years’ leader, Crystal Porter, who scored 301. The largest overall total in recent history was Marie Warner’s total of 529 set in 2008-09.
The biggest story this year has been the breakout of Griffs sophomore, Sara Hinriksdottir. The second-year forward leads the team in points per game, notching 14.7 points per game, while ranking first on the team in rebounds per contest with a mark of 5.7. Hinriksdottir is one of seven players in the MAAC, who rank in the scoring top-10 and top-20 in rebounding.
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