Quinnipiac used a late surge in the fourth quarter to end a comeback effort by Canisius en route to a 69-53 victory in MAAC women’s basketball action Saturday afternoon at the Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo, N.Y.
Freshman forward Brooklyn Thrash paced the Golden Griffins (6-9, 3-3 MAAC) with 11 points after she went a perfect 5-of-5 from the field. Her fellow freshman forward, and defending MAAC Rookie of the Week, Sisi Eleko added in 10 points, seven rebounds and three steals. The Montreal, Quebec, native’s seven boards were tied for the game-high. Eleko, along with graduate student guard Vannessa Garrelts were tied with Makenzie Helms of Quinnipiac for the game-high in steals with three. As a team, Canisius shot 32.1 percent (17-of-53) from the floor.
Mikala Morris (17), Ella O’Donnell (12) and Mary Baskerville (12) each finished the game in double-figures for the Bobcats (9-6, 4-2 MAAC). Three members of the Bobcats, O’Donnell, Baskerville and Cur’Tiera Haywood, were tied with Eleko for the game-high in rebounds with seven. As a team, Quinnipiac shot 46.9 percent (23-of-49) from the floor and ended the contest by making 20-of-30 free-throw tries.
Quinnipiac led Canisius 49-39 after three quarters of play before the Blue and Gold caught fire early in the final stanza, using buckets by Thrash, Eleko and a pair of free-throws from Adrien LaMora to trim the Bobcats’ cushion to 51-45 with 8:12 remaining.
After a basket from Quinnipiac’s O’Donnell, Thrash ignited another run for Canisius, this time an 8-2 spurt over the middle 2:30 of the frame, to get Canisius to within two of Quinnipiac at 55-53. However, Quinnipiac would score 10 of their final 14 points from the free-throw line to fuel a 14-0 run over the final 2:57 of the game to stymie the Griffs comeback and seal the victory.
Trailing 16-9 after one quarter of play, the Blue and Gold came alive in the second stanza, outscoring the Bobcats 14-7 over the opening 4:36 of the frame to tie the game 23-23 with 5:24 left to play before intermission. Eleko and LaMora led the way with four points, while guards Dani Haskell and Jane McCauley hit back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the game.
Quinnipiac would respond with its own 6-2 spurt over the next 3:41 to retake the lead, 29-25 before a 3-pointer with 1:05 left to play in the first half by sophomore guard Athina Lexa sent the Blue and Gold into halftime down one at 29-28.
The momentum from the late 3-pointer by Lexa carried over into the second half, as the Griffs opened the third quarter by scoring seven of the first 11 points out of halftime to give Canisius the 35-33 with 7:05 to play in the third quarter. Quinnipiac would limit Canisius to only four more points during the remainder of the frame, outscoring the Griffs 16-4 to take a 10-point advantage into the final quarter at 49-39.
Game Notes:
• Despite the loss, the Griffs’ 3-3 MAAC record stands as the program’s best six-game start to league play since the 2018-19 campaign.
• The loss ended Canisius’ four-game home win streak, which dated back to Dec. 7 when the Griffs beat St. Bonaventure at the Koessler Athletic Center.
• Canisius was limited to less than 10 points in a quarter for the first time since Dec. 10 at Youngstown State.
• The starting line-up of Thrash, Garrelts, Eleko, McCauley and Haskell was used for the sixth consecutive game, becoming the most used lineup combination this season.
Up Next:
The Griffs will return to action Thursday, Jan. 12, when the team plays at Rider. Game time in Lawrenceville, N.J., is set for 7 p.m., and the contest will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
