BUFFALO — The Canisius women’s basketball team came out strong in the third quarter, going on a 9-2 run, which cut the Iona lead to just one, however the offense couldn’t keep pace with the Gaels, as the Blue and Gold fell to the Iona, 58-45 at the Koessler Athletic Center. With the loss the Griffs dropped 7-16 overall and 6-8 in conference play, while Iona improved to 15-8 overall and 10-4 in MAAC action.
After heading to halftime down 26-18, the Griffs stormed out of the gate in the third quarter, taking the lead with 6:42 left in the quarter, scoring nine unanswered points, capped by a trey by Margret Halfdanardottir. All-told the Griffs outscored the Gaels 13-9 to set up a final frame, with the Blue and Gold trailing by just four.
In the fourth quarter however the Canisius offense couldn’t keep up with Iona, shooting just 33 percent from the field including an 0-4 mark from beyond the arc.
Halfdanardottir led the offense, notching 14 points and two assists.
Country-mate Sara Hinriksdottir recorded a pair of fouls early in the first quarter, which forced Canisius to protect their sophomore star. Despite playing in just 23 minutes, Hinriksdottir hit double-digits for the 20th time this season, finishing second on the team in scoring with 10 points.
Sarah Cooley led the way in rebounding with eight rebounds, while Tamara Miskovic paced the team in assists with five.
The preseason player of the year, Marina Lizarazu led the Gaels in scoring, shooting 9-of-13 from the field, and notching 23 points. Kyandra DuPree notched a double-double with 17 points and 12 boards, while, Alexis Lewis was held scoreless in the contest.
The Griffs offense struggled in the contest, hitting 17-of-48 from the field, for 35 percent, while the Cnaisius hit just 2-of-19 from beyond the arc. Iona bested those numbers, hitting 42 percent (20-of-47) and 31 percent from long range (5-16).
Canisius will have a bit of a break headed into next week, when the squad prepares for its rivalry game against Niagara at the Koessler Athletic Center. It is part of a men’s and women’s doubleheader beginning at 5:30 on Feb. 10.
from GoGriffs.com via IFTTT
