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Canisius University Athletics

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Canisius guard Grace Heeps dribbles the ball as D'Youville's Jaelyn Vleer-Elliott guards her during game action at the Koessler Athletic Center on Nov. 20, 2023
Anthony Militello
59
D'Youville DYO 1-3,0-0 ECC
67
Winner Canisius Canis 2-2,0-0 MAAC
D'Youville DYO
1-3,0-0 ECC
59
Final
67
Canisius Canis
2-2,0-0 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
D'Youville DYO 12 9 24 14 59
Canisius Canis 15 19 12 21 67

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Fourth-Quarter Surge Sends Women’s Basketball Past D’Youville

Canisius used a 16-4 run during the fourth quarter to regain control of the contest and defeat crosstown foe D'Youville, 67-59, in collegiate women's basketball action Monday at the Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo.
 
Sophomore forward Sisi Eleko led three Golden Griffins (2-2) in double figures with 17 points and added a team-high 10 rebounds as she recorded her fourth double-double of the season. Graduate guard Grace Heeps chipped in 13 points, fueled in large part by a 3-for-4 effort from beyond the arc, while senior Giana Hernandez-Boulden chipped in 10 points of her own. Senior Mackenzie Amalia finished with eight points and dished out a season-best seven assists in the victory.
 
Brianne Moxley recorded 17 points and Anna Jankovic pitched 16 for the Saints (1-3). Stella Mollica led all players with eight assists while Jaelyn Vleer-Elliott grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds.
 
After a 3-pointer from Sofie Fuglslang to open the fourth quarter temporarily put D'Youville in front, 48-46, Canisius responded on its next trip down the floor as a layup from Eleko ignited a 16-4 run that lasted just under seven minutes and restored the Griffs lead, 62-52. Heeps and Eleko chipped in six points each to pace the Griffs during the stretch that saw Canisius go 7-of-9 from the floor and a perfect 2-of-2 from 3-point range.
 
A 3-pointer from Moxley brought the Canisius run to a close and trimmed the Griffs cushion to single digits with a little more than two minutes remaining. That would be as close as the Saints would get, however, as the teams traded points over the remainder of the contest to determine the eight-point margin of victory.
 
Earlier in the contest, Canisius trailed by two late in the first quarter before closing the frame with five unanswered points, highlighted by a corner 3-pointer in the final seconds from senior Jane McCauley, to grab a 15-12 lead after one.
 
The Griffs carried that momentum into the second stanza as a jumper from Hernandez-Boulden during the early stages of the frame kickstarted a 19-7 stretch that lasted until the halftime buzzer and extended the Griffs advantage to 34-21 at the break. The Griffs were 7-of-12 from the field during the stretch that lasted the final 7:32 of the first half, punctuated by a 3-for-6 effort from beyond the arc.
 
D'Youville battled back into the contest during the third quarter, outscoring the Griffs by a 24-12 margin to make it a one-point game heading into the fourth. The Saints made eight of their 11 attempts from the field during the third quarter and were 4-of-6 from 3-point range, setting the stage for the Griffs decisive spurt in the fourth.  
 
GAME NOTES
• Monday's game served as the first-ever meeting between Canisius and D'Youville. The contest was also the Griffs first regular-season game against a non-Division I opponent since the 2016-17 season.
• Canisius shot better than 50 percent from the field as it was 27-of-53 for the contest (.509). The Griffs shot 50 percent or higher from the floor in three of the four quarters, highlighted by an 8-of-12 effort in the fourth.
• The Griffs held D'Youville to just 38.9 percent shooting for the game (21-of-54). The Saints shot less than 32 percent from the field in every quarter but the third.
• The Canisius bench outscored the D'Youville reserves by a 24-10 margin in the contest. Hernandez-Boulden led the ways for the Griffs backups with her 10 points while sophomore Adrien LaMora pitched in eight points of her own off the bench.
• Canisius established a season high for team assists as it finished with 19 assists on 27 made field goals.
• Eleko posted her fourth double-double of the season and the seventh of her career with her 17-point, 10-rebound performance on Monday.
• The seven assists by Amalia matched her career high in that category, set against Detroit Mercy on Feb. 9, 2023 while she was at Robert Morris.
• Hernandez-Boulden reached double figures in points for the first time this season and the fourth time in her Canisius career with her 10-point effort on Monday.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius travels to the Midwest Sunday to square off against Big-Ten rival Illinois. Tip-off for the inaugural matchup between the Griffs and the Fighting Illini is slated for 2 p.m. EST at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill.
 
SUPPORT THE GRIFFS
Support the Canisius women's basketball team in conjunction with the "More Than A Game" campaign. Your donation to the women's basketball program helps our student-athletes continue to be champions in the community, in the classroom and in competition. To donate, CLICK HERE.

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