By Colton Pankiewicz, Assistant Sports Editor
Canisius traveled to Jersey City Monday for a matchup against the winless Saint Peter’s Peacocks in a game that somehow lasted longer than these teams first outing that saw the two MAAC members go into an extra frame.
The Peacocks took advantage of the Griffs first quarter, as Canisius struggled to find their stroke. After finishing under 30% from the field to end the first frame, the Griffs trailed Saint Peters 16-13. A stalemated second quarter sent the teams into the locker rooms, with Canisius still trailing 25-22.
The Griffs continued to trail in the second half and with just 1:20 left in the fourth quarter, Canisius found themselves down eight, Saint Peters holding a 59-51 lead. After scoring from Stubbs, Eleko and Hernandez-Boulden, the Golden Griffins cut their deficit to just two.
With four seconds left in regulation, freshmen and New Jersey native Gianna Hernandez-Boulding put up a jumper that found nothing but net, forcing extra minutes for the second consecutive game against Saint Peters.
The Griffs and Peacocks battled neck and neck in overtime and Canisius’ Athina Lexa put up a jumper with seven seconds remaining that gave her team a two-point lead, but Saint Peters gave the Griffs a taste of their own medicine with Tiara Bellamy extending the contest to a sixth frame.
Cheyenne Stubbs took over in the last frame scoring nine of her career high 25 points Canisius came away with an 89-80 victory, marking the first victory in which the Griffs scored 89 points or more since 2014.
Returning home to the Koessler Athletic Center with just two games remaining on the schedule, Canisius had the opportunity to pass Mount St. Marys in the MAAC with a win against the Mountaineers themselves on Thursday night. Canisius came out of the first half with a six-point cushion, up 29-23, and as a team that usually finishes stronger than they start, a second straight win looked very much possible.
Unfortunately for the Griffs, things didn’t fall that way as Mount St. Marys outscored the Golden Griffins 32-15 in the second half, Canisius scoring just five points in the fourth quarter. The Griffs 55-44 loss marks the lowest offensive output since 2021, finishing under 30 percent from the field and just 16 percent from deep.
“I'm really disappointed with our second half performance and I don’t think it was anything Mount St. Mary’s did, I think it was us. I'd like to see more fight [against Siena] and I'm hoping for forty minutes of fight and execution,” said Head Coach Sahar Nusseibeh following the loss.
Canisius has one more opportunity to build momentum as they tip off against Siena on Saturday in their season finale, and senior night, before packing their bags and heading to Atlantic City for the MAAC tournament next week.
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