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Sisi Eleko shoots a 3-pointer against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Nov. 11, 2023
Joe Lehrman
62
Saint Francis (PA) SF-PA 0-2,0-0 NEC
78
Winner Canisius Canis 1-1,0-0 MAAC
Saint Francis (PA) SF-PA
0-2,0-0 NEC
62
Final
78
Canisius Canis
1-1,0-0 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Saint Francis (PA) SF-PA 12 16 16 18 62
Canisius Canis 19 18 25 16 78

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Women's Basketball Begins Home Slate with Win over Saint Francis (Pa.)

Sophomore Sisi Eleko poured in a career-high 24 points and added 10 rebounds for her second consecutive double-double as the Canisius women's basketball team defeated Saint Francis (Pa.), 78-62, in intercollegiate women's basketball action Saturday afternoon at the Koessler Athletic Center.
 
The Golden Griffins saw their record improve to 1-1 on the young season with the win while the Red Flash slipped at 0-2.
 
Along with Eleko's double-double, graduate student Grace Heeps added in 14 points and a team-leading three steals. Canisius found balanced scoring from the bench as five of the six players who came off the bench registered at least three points. On the glass, sophomore Adrien LaMora and senior Mackenzie Amalia grabbed four rebounds each while senior Bri Rozzi dished out a team-best three assists.
 
After a slow start to the contest, the Griffs would go on a 15-9 run over the final six minutes of the opener quarter, paced by nine points from Eleko, to take a 19-12 lead into the second frame.
 
The Canisius offense would not slow down to begin the middle frame, with sophomores Chloe Chard Peloquin and LaMora notching back-to-back buckets to extend the Griffs lead to double digits, 23-12, with 8:58 to play.
 
After a 7-0 run by the Red Flash cut the Griffs lead to just four, 23-19, the Canisius offense would respond with a 12-4 stretch, book-ended by a pair of buckets from senior Giana Hernandez-Boulden, over a 3:12 span to take a 35-25 lead with 3:40 left in the frame.
 
Saint Francis (Pa.) would score five of the seven final points of the half to cut into the Canisius lead, but the Griffs entered the locker room ahead by nine, 37-28.
 
The Canisius offense continued to hum coming out of the break, outscoring the Red Flash, 10-5, while limiting the visitors to 2-of-6 (.333) shooting from the floor to expand its lead to 47-33 with 5:52 to play.
 
Canisius grew its lead later in the third quarter, going on a 15-9 spurt, kicked off by a 3-ball from graduate student Jane McCauley, to head to the fourth quarter ahead 62-44. During the run, the Blue and Gold would head to the free-throw line six times, going a perfect 6-of-6 during that span.
 
During the final stanza, the Red Flash would use a late run to try and chip away at the Griffs lead, but a pair of 3-pointers, courtesy of Heeps and Amalia, sealed the victory for the Blue and Gold.
 
POSTGAME COMMENTS  
GAME NOTES
• Eleko is the first player since Danielle Sanderlin to record back-to-back double-doubles. Sanderlin accomplished the feat with identical 20-point, 10 rebound performances against Siena (Jan. 11, 2020) and Fairfield (Jan. 16, 2020).
• Eleko now has five double-doubles for her career with two this season and three during the 2022-23 campaign.
• Today's game was the first meeting between the Griffs and Red Flash since Nov. 26, 2016. Canisius now leads the all-time series, 6-3, and is 4-0 at home.
• McCauley appeared in her first game of the 2023-24 campaign, scoring three points off the bench. 
• Freshman Mary Copple appeared in her first collegiate game, playing the final four minutes of the contest. Copple is the only freshman on scholarship for the Blue and Gold this season.
• Both teams shot above .500 from the floor with the Red Flash at exactly .500 (25-of-50) and Canisius going .518 (29-of-56).
• Canisius was 6-of-13 (.462) from beyond the arc while Saint Francis (Pa.) was 9-of-17 (.529).
• Under head coach Sahar Nusseibeh, Canisius is a perfect 3-0 during its first home game of the year  
 
UP NEXT
Canisius travels to Colgate in Hamilton, N.Y., on Thursday. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m., with the game airing on ESPN+.
 
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