BUFFALO — The Canisius women’s basketball’s defense smothered the Purple Eagles in the first quarter, holding the Niagara to just three points in the first frame, as it set the stage for a 52-41 win over rival at the Koessler Athletic Center Friday evening.
With the win the Blue and Gold swept the season series between the two teams, having defeated Niagara up in Lewiston on Jan. 18. With the win Canisius improves to 8-16 and 7-8 in the MAAC, while Niagara drops to 6-18 overall and 3-12 in conference action.
In a first quarter that set the tone for the game, the Blue and Gold outscored Niagara 12-3, holding the Purple Eagles scoreless from the floor, as Niagara went 0-of-11 from the field. The only points came from Victoria Rampado’s three points from the charity stripe.
Meanwhile Sara Hinriksdottir scored seven of the teams 12 points in the opening frame, and the team forced eight Niagara turnovers on the defensive end.
For the game Hinriksdottir led the way, notching her 21st game of double-digit scoring, recording 16 for the game to go along with seven rebounds. Lauren D’Hont also had a strong day, scoring 14 points and chipping in four rebounds and three assists for the all-around effort.
On the Niagara side, Rampado led the way with 20 points, hitting 7-of-13 from the floor and was 5-of-6 from the line. Also hitting double-digits was Kaylee Stroemple who notched 11.
Turnovers were an issue all game for the Purple Eagles, as the squad from Lewiston coughed it up 20 times, while Canisius recorded nine steals.
Shooting percentage was also a deciding factor, with the Blue and Gold shooting at a 42 percent clip, and Niagara hitting just 29 percent of its shots from the floor.
The Griffs head off to Lawrenceville, N.J. on Saturday, as the squad faces the Rider Broncs in the second-half of their MAAC two-step. Game time is set for 1 p.m.
from GoGriffs.com via IFTTT
