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Brooklyn Thrash holds the ball away from an opponent at Siena on Dec. 16, 2023
Olivia Witkowski
65
Winner Canisius Canis 5-3,1-0 MAAC
63
Siena Siena 3-5,0-1 MAAC
Winner
Canisius Canis
5-3,1-0 MAAC
65
Final
63
Siena Siena
3-5,0-1 MAAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Canisius Canis 8 21 14 22 65
Siena Siena 12 14 20 17 63

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Women's Basketball Grinds Out MAAC Win at Siena

Sophomore Brooklyn Thrash's two free-throw makes with 1.2 seconds remaining proved to be the difference, as the Canisius women's basketball team went on the road and beat Siena 65-63 in MAAC women's basketball action Saturday afternoon at the UHY Center in Loundonville, N.Y.

The Golden Griffins improved to 5-3 overall and 1-0 in MAAC play with the victory, while the Saints fell to 3-5 overall and 0-1 in league action. The win, Canisius' third straight, marks the first time the Griffs have opened MAAC play on the road with a victory since the 2015-16 season.

In a game that featured 11 lead changes and seven ties, Siena tied the contest at 63-63 with 27.1 seconds remaining to play after Elisa Mevius drove down the right-side of the lane and scored two of her game-high 21 points on the afternoon. Canisius immediately took a timeout to move the ball into the frontcourt. Out of that stoppage, Mackenzie Amalia dribbled the game clock down before she eventually found Thrash on the lower-block. Thrash was fouled on the play with 1.2 seconds left, and calmly drilled both of her tosses from the stripe to give the Blue and Gold the 65-63 advantage.

Siena used its final timeout after Thrash's second make from the free-throw line to move the ball into its frontcourt. The Saints put the ball in the hands of Teresa Seepaia, but her last-second chance to tie the game from the lower-block never reached the rim, as Canisius' defense swarmed her, allowing the final horn to sound to end the contest.

Canisius sophomore Sisi Eleko posted 19 points and nine rebounds in the win, while junior Athina Lexa was good for 19 points as well after she went 5-for-9 from 3-point land. Three Griffs, Amalia and graduate students Grace Heeps and Bri Rozzi, each had six points in the winning effort, while Heeps and Rozzi were both credited with four assists for the Blue and Gold.

Mevius's 21 points served as a game-high, and Seppala finished the contest with a double-double after she scored 14 points to go with 12 rebounds. London Gamble chipped in 11 points as well for Siena in the losing effort.
 
A 3-pointer by Lexa with 40 seconds left in the first half allowed Canisius to go into the locker room up 29-26 at intermission. In the third quarter, the Saints outscored the Griffs by a 20-14 clip, and the home team led by as many as five points midway through the frame, but another later 3-pointer by Lexa, this time with 38 seconds remaining in the third quarter, made the score 44-43 in favor of Siena. A pair of free-throws by Mevius sent the home-standing Saints up 46-43 as the game moved to the fourth quarter.
   
In the fourth quarter, Canisius scored the first three points of the stanza to knot the game at 46-46. Moments later, Eleko hit a jumper in the paint to put the Griffs' up 52-48 with 7:10 remaining. Siena erased a five-point Canisius lead with a 6-0 run over the span of 1:38 in the later stages of the final quarter to take a 61-60 lead, but the Blue and Gold regained the lead moments later when Heeps drilled her second 3-ball of the contest from the left-wing to make the score 63-61 in favor of Canisius with 1:23 showing on the clock. The two teams traded empty possessions over the next 27 seconds, setting up Mevius' bucket and then Thrash's late-game heroics at the free-throw line. 
   
POSTGAME COMMENTS FROM HEAD COACH SAHAR NUSSEIBEH
   
GAME NOTES
• Saturday marked the 84th all-time meeting between these two long-time rivals. The win for Canisius at Siena marks just the 10th road victory for the Griffs in the series, and serves as the Griffs' first road win in the series since Jan. 26, 2014.
• The Griffs are now 4-2 all-time when opening MAAC play against Siena.
• Canisius is on its first three-game win streak since Jan. 26-Feb. 4, 2019.
• Saturday's win is the Griffs' first of the season when the team trailed after three quarters of play.
• Lexa has now hit five-or more 3-pointers in consecutive games for the first time in her career.
• Graduate student Tihanna Fulton made her Canisius debut in the game and scored her first bucket of the season with 4:22 left in the fourth quarter.

UP NEXT
Canisius will close out its first MAAC road trip of the season on Monday, when the team travels to play at Marist. Tip-off in McCann Arena in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., is set for 11 a.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
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