By Maggie Tifft, Assistant to the Sports Editor
The Griffs are hot, thanks to a two-game win streak at home, pushing them forward in both conference standings and confidence.
Last week, head coach Tiffany Swoffard emphasized how essential it was for the team to start stringing their wins together. Canisius was able to accomplish this, generating their first win streak of the season. The Griffs defeated Merrimack on Saturday 68–62, before completing their season sweep against Niagara, defeating the Purple Eagles 48–46 on Tuesday.
Both wins were decided by less than 10 points, and were within one score going into the fourth quarter. The Griffs saw success mainly due to the lead they held after the first half, something the team has been missing in their recent back-and-forth season. Coach Swoffard credits her team for using all of their “Cs”, like cohesion, communication, and composure, in these two games, a key factor that was missing since the break.
In the Griffs contest against Niagara, freshman Yasmine Djibril recorded a season-high 11 rebounds. Against Merrimack, sophomore Shariah Gailes notched a career-high 20 points, and maintained her spot in MAAC standings as third overall in rebounds.
With the two wins the Griffs improved their conference record to 6–7, placing them seventh in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference standings. The team has seven games left in the regular season, including three matchups against teams who rank below them in conference standings. The Griffs also have a rematch against Iona, who sits one spot above them in the standings, but is a team Canisius has already defeated earlier this season.
Next up for the team is a trip to Emmitsburg, Maryland where they face the number-four-ranked Mount St. Mary’s on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 2 p.m. After that is a long break until Thursday, Feb. 20, where they head back on the road for a double-header weekend at Marist and Siena.
Photo courtesy of Chloe Breen
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