By Maggie Tifft, Assistant Sports Editor
It’s rivalry week for Canisius women’s basketball as the Griffs’ lone game this week will take them up north, where the team faces the Niagara University Purple Eagles.
This Thursday’s contest is the first Battle of Bridge matchup for the new team and Head Coach Tiffany Swoffard. After a pregame speech from athletic director Bill Maher, Coach Swoffard mentioned just how important this game is for the team to win.
“It's been an interesting week, and it’s probably been more challenging because it’s closer,” says head coach Swoffard when commenting on their matchup against the Purple Eagles. “We’ve grown a ton, and continued to grow and win in January. This is probably the most challenging Buffalo-based game. We’re learning more about the rivalry, and want to build up some pride before the game,” continued coach Swoffard.
As the team prepares for the local rivalry against Niagara, Coach Swoffard expressed that with the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference scheduling games Thursdays and Saturdays, the team’s goal is to win both games back-to-back, but they often lack the later win despite strong efforts and energy in Friday practices. With this week slowing down the pace of games, the coaching staff has emphasized their efforts of finding those hurdles and obstacles stopping the team from executing an undefeated weekend.
Looking back to last weekend, the team split their games with a Thursday victory over Sacred Heart – their second meeting with the Pioneers – before falling to the Marist Red Foxes in their first meetup of the season.
As the regular season begins to consist of repeated opponents for the Griffs, the team has fallen back on their fundamentals, like the “Cs” – cohesion, chemistry and composure, to name a few – while continuing to grow into a closer group of players who know and push one another to be better than the day before.
“We’re still doing a ton of individual skills and building concepts with our shared language, but it’s been fun to be able to see our growth. We look and feel like a different team now,” says Coach Swoffard.
With the lone game this week on Jan. 30, away at Niagara University, the Griffs will return next week for a three-game streak at home, where they will host Quinnipiac on Feb. 6, Merrimack on Feb. 8, and Niagara on Feb. 11.
Photo courtesy of Chloe Breen