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Sisi Eleko goes for a layup against Saint Peter's on Feb. 3, 2024
Lindy Feider

Women's Basketball

Women's Basketball Opens February with Victory over Saint Peter's

Box Score The Canisius women's basketball team outscored Saint Peter's by a 31-22 margin in the second half to rally for a 56-48 victory in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action Saturday at the Koessler Athletic Center.
 
With the win, the Golden Griffins improved to 12-9 overall and 7-5 in MAAC play while the Peacocks slid to 5-14 and 2-8 in conference action.
 
Sophomore Sisi Eleko led the way with her MAAC-leading 11th double-double of the season, scoring a team-high 16 points while grabbing 10 rebounds. Graduate student Grace Heeps added in 12 points, with fellow graduate student, Bri Rozzi, dishing out a game-high five assists and collecting six rebounds.

Jada Leonard paced Saint Peter's with 16 points and four assists. Rachel Kuhl and Mikia Keithjoined Leonard in double figurs, adding in 12 and 10 points, respectively. On the glass, Fatmata Janneh added in eight boards.
 
The Griffs opened the game on a 7-2 run, paced by five points from Thrash, over the first 2:21 of the contest.
   
Saint Peter's controlled the remainder of the quarter, outscoring Canisus by a 12-6 margin to hold a slim 14-13 edge at the end of the first.
 
In a closely contested second quarter, the Griffs and Peacocks traded buckets for a majority of the frame, but a 9-2 stretch by the Peacocks during the middle portion of the second stanza allowed the visitors to take a slim 26-25 advantage into the locker room. 
 
Trailing 30-29 with 4:09 left in the third quarter, the Canisius defense came alive as it held Saint Peter's scoreless for the remainder of the quarter while the Griffs registered 11 points on the offensive end to flip the game to its favor, 40-30, entering the final stanza of action.
   
The Peacocks looked to make a move at the start of the fourth, opening the final frame with seven of the first 10 points to trim the Griffs lead to six, 43-37. The Griffs weathered the SPU attack, keeping pace with the visitors on the scoreboard for the remainder of the day to secure the victory and sweep the season series.
 
POSTGAME COMMENTS:
GAME NOTES:
• Saturday's game served as the 76th all-time meeting between the Griffs and Peacocks. Canisius now leads the all-time series, 40-36, and is now 21-13 at home all-time against the Peacocks. 
• Eleko scored in double figures for the 17th time this season and 32nd time of her collegiate career.  
• Canisius has now held an opponent to 10-or-less points in a quarter for the sixth time in its last eight games. The Peacocks were limited to just four points in the third quarter, which is the least number of points the Griffs have surrendered in a frame during the 2023-24 campaign.
• With her 10 rebounds, Eleko moves into sole possession of third place all-time for total rebounds in a single season by a sophomore with 217. She now needs to grab seven caroms to pass fellow Canadian, Megan Lyte (224 in 2004-05), for second place.
• This is the second consecutive year under head coach Sahar Nusseibeh that the Griffs have swept the season series against the Peacocks.
 
Up Next:
Canisius is back in action on Feb. 10 for a road tilt at Mount St. Mary's. Tip-off from Emmitsburg, Md., is set for 1 p.m., with the game available on ESPN+.
 
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Players Mentioned

Sisi Eleko

#14 Sisi Eleko

F
6' 2"
Sophomore
Brooklyn Thrash

#3 Brooklyn Thrash

G/F
6' 0"
Sophomore
Grace Heeps

#11 Grace Heeps

G
5' 11"
Graduate Student
Bri Rozzi

#22 Bri Rozzi

G
5' 7"
Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

Sisi Eleko

#14 Sisi Eleko

6' 2"
Sophomore
F
Brooklyn Thrash

#3 Brooklyn Thrash

6' 0"
Sophomore
G/F
Grace Heeps

#11 Grace Heeps

5' 11"
Graduate Student
G
Bri Rozzi

#22 Bri Rozzi

5' 7"
Graduate Student
G