Women's Basketball 1/25/2003 12:00:00 AM Canisius College Athletics

Women's Basketball Squares Off with Iona

Canisius (9-8, 4-4 MAAC) at Iona (1-14, 0-6 MAAC) Sunday, Jan. 26, 2003?2:00 p.m. Mulcahy Center?New Rochelle, N.Y. Internet/Radio: None TV: None

Today Canisius and Iona will meet in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action for the second time in seven days. Last Sunday, Canisius scored a 70-59 win over the Gaels in the Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo, N.Y., dropping the Gaels to 0-6 in conference play. The Blue and Gold is coming off a 60-53 come from behind win over Marist College Friday night. The Friday night game at Marist was the first time Canisius has not played at Marist on a Sunday in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., during the Mike Decillis coaching era. This will be the final game in a three-game road swing for the Blue and Gold. Canisius is currently 1-1 on the road trip which includes an 84-64 loss at Niagara Jan. 21. The Griffs are in the midst of a mid-season stretch where they will play five of six MAAC games on the road. Canisius closes out the month of January with a home game against Siena College Jan. 30. Saints' head coach Gina Castelli is in her 13th year at the helm of the Siena program and is a 1986 graduate of Canisius College, where she finished her playing career ranked fourth in career scoring with 1,524 points and tied for third in career assists with 578 career helpers.

Scouting the Gaels Iona fell to Dartmouth 87-60 Jan. 21, in the Mulcahy Center to drive the Gaels losing streak to six straight games. Junior forward Michelle Fahy is the team's top scorer, posting 14.7 points per game this season. She also leads the Maroon and Gold in rebounding, pulling down 7.7 rebounds per contest. Sheena Howard is next on the list in the scoring column, chipping in 6.2 points per game. Sophomore guard and Buffalo-area native Jamie Donnelly has played in all 15 Iona games this year and is averaging 3.5 points and 2.9 rebounds per outing.

Series History Canisius snapped a two-game home losing streak to Iona Jan. 19, with a with a 70-59 win over the Gaels. Prior to this season's win, the Griffs had last beat Iona in the Koessler Athletic Center during the 1998-99 season. The Blue and Gold holds a 15-13 all-time series lead over Gaels. Iona knocked off Canisius last season in New Rochelle, N.Y., by a 77-71 count. Iona forward Jessica Attinelly posted a double-double in the win, scoring 20 points and pulling down a game-high 10 rebounds. Jill Knapic led the Griffs' charge with a game-high 21 points in the losing effort.

From the Training Room Freshman Jackie Richards underwent knee surgery Dec. 17, and will miss the entire season. Friendly Confines The Griffs own an all-time mark of 177-79 (.691) in the Koessler Athletic Center. The Dec. 6, game against Saint Peter's in the KAC was the 250th contest the women's program has played in the on-campus facility. The KAC underwent a $1.3 million facelift over the past three years, which includes adding reserved seating and bringing the capacity to 2,176. Season ticket sales have increased 400 percent from last season.

What's New About the KAC? Removal of drop ceiling Upgrades to the electrical, ventilation and acoustical systems New arena style seating The floor was refinished, repainted and resealed New scoreboards, banners, scorer's tables and baskets
Head Coach Mike Decillis 54-73; .425 (5th Year); Native of Irvington, N.J. Became the fourth coach in Canisius women's history to reach 50-career wins on the Griffs' bench. Won his first game as the Canisius head coach Nov. 27, 1998, a 92-90 win over Cornell. Was named the seventh head coach in program history July 20, 1998. Prior to coming to Canisius, Mike spent 14 seasons as the head coach at Nazareth College in Pittsford, N.Y., where he compiled a 253-129 record, making him the winningest coach in the history of Nazareth College athletics.

Stevens the Scorer Junior guard Jenel Stevens is leading the team and the MAAC with her 23.4 points per game average this season. Stevens has scored 20-plus points in 13 games this season. She has been credited with double figures in the scoring column in all 17 games and scored her career-high 36 points against Niagara Jan. 21. Her 22.4 points per game (as of Jan. 20,) ranks her 11th in the nation in scoring average. Stevens is also the team's leading rebounder, pulling down 10.4 boards per game. She ranks 23rd in the country in that category (as of Jan. 20) with 10.1 rebounds. She became the 23rd player in Canisius women's history to reach the 800-career point plateau and only the second player to reach the mark since the 2000 season after scoring a game-high 25 points Jan. 19, in a win over Iona at home. She enters today's contest ranked 20th all-time in career points scored with 873. She needs two points to move past former Griff Karen Freeman into 19th place all-time.

Canisius Numbers in the MAAC Canisius is the conference's top scoring team, averaging 73.3 points per contest... The Griffs also lead the MAAC in field goal percentage (as of Jan. 20), knocking down 42.6 percent of their shots per game... As a team, Canisius leads the MAAC in three-point field goals made, dropping in 110 (7.33 per game) as of Jan. 20. Jenel Stevens ranks third in the MAAC in three-pointers made with 35 (as of Jan. 20).

Canisius Milestones Canisius' game at UMBC Nov. 30, was the Blue and Gold's 700th game in program history... Senior center Jes Butler started in her 50th career game against St. Francis (Pa.) Jan. 2... With her two assists in the Central Michigan game, Jenel Stevens reached the 100-career assist plateau... Stevens pulled down 13 rebounds in the team's loss at Loyola Jan. 10, to reach the 400-career rebound plateau...Senior Keia McFadden played in her 100th career game Jan. 21, against Niagara. She is the active leader in game's played for the Griffs... Three freshmen, Jessica Steeves, Karly Chesko and Cheri Wittlieb have played in all 17 Canisius games this season, with Wittlieb starting in the last two ball games. No Canisius freshmen played in every game last season. Lucky 13 Canisius juniors Jenel Stevens and Lonnie Brown each pulled down 13 rebounds in the win over Manhattan Dec. 8. That outing marked the second time this season the junior duo pulled down 13 boards apiece in a Canisius win. Stevens and Brown also had 13 rebounds each in the Griffs' win at UMBC Nov. 30.

Hoop Honors Senior center Jes Butler has been nominated for the 2002-03 Creamland Dairies Men's and Women's Collegiate Basketball Student Athlete of the Year Award, the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau. This award honors college seniors for the athletic and academic achievement as well as community involvement. The Final 10 nominees will be announced March 3, 2003, with the three finalists heading to the awards banquet April 9, 2003 in Albuquerque, N.M. Butler is one of 31 players from across the nation chosen for this award. Siena College forward Gunta Basko is the only other nominee from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
Cleaning the Glass is a Good Sign The Griffs are 9-5 this season when they outrebound their opponents. The Griffs have only lost once at home when outrebounding their opponents. The Blue and Gold outrebounded Fairfield by a 42-34 margin Jan. 17, but still lost 75-71. On the flip side, Canisius is 0-4 when being outrebounded this season.

Double-Double The Fun When Canisius gets a player to post a double-double, they are in good shape this season. In eight of the Griffs' nine wins this season, a player wearing Blue and Gold has posted a double-double in points scored and rebounds. The Griffs' win over Iona Jan. 19, marked the lone game where the team won despite not getting a double-double performance.

Preseason Poll Canisius was picked to finish seventh in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. Junior guard Jenel Stevens was named first-team All-MAAC.

Three-Point Hoops For Everyone The Griffs' 13 three-point baskets in the win over Stetson Nov. 22, set a new school record for three-pointers made in a single game. The previous record of 11 was tied four different times prior to the 2002-03 team setting the new mark.
A Look at the Roster Numbers This season, Canisius has 14 players on its active roster. Nine of those players are either freshmen or sophomores. Canisius has just one player who wears a single digit jersey number (Christine Salinas, No. 5) and no player wears a jersey number higher than number 35 (Paja Grasevova, No. 35).

The Tall and Short of It The Griffs' boast two players listed at 6-foot 3 on this year's roster, senior Paja Grasevova and freshman Jessica Steeves. The shortest Griffs on the roster are senior point guard Keia McFadden and freshman point guard Becky Zak, who are both listed at 5-foot 6.

Hold Onto Your Hats The Nov. 27, game between Canisius and Bucknell was yet another high scoring affair in the series between the two schools. For the third time in five meetings, one of the two teams on the floor posted 100 or more points on the scoreboard.
Looking to Replace a Star This is the first season Canisius will be on the floor without the program's all-time leading scorer Shauna Geronzin. Geronzin graduated last May with 2,012 career points. She was a four time All-MAAC selection and was named the conference's Rookie of the Year after her freshman campaign. Geronzin is currently an assistant basketball coach at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa.

On the Air Nine Canisius games will be aired on the Internet at www.GoGriffs.com this season, with the game against Niagara Feb. 12, also be aired on The River 105.1 FM. Live Golden Griffin action will return to the school's Website Jan. 30, when Canisius host Siena.
Captains Senior Jes Butler and junior Jenel Stevens are this year's captains.

Canisius Signs Two Canisius announced the signing of two recruits during the NCAA's early signing period in November. Jessica Starkey (North Granby, Conn.) and Megan Lyte (Midhurst, Ont., Canada) signed their National Letters of Intent and will join the Canisius College women's basketball team next season. Starkey is a 5-foot 5 guard playing in her senior season at Northwest Catholic High School in Hartford, Conn. She was named to the Street and Smith's All-American honorable mention team prior to her junior season. Lyte is a 6-foot forward who averages 20 points a game at Eastview High School in Ontario. She also plays on several club teams, including the Barrie Royals and the Orillia Thunder.

Letter A to Z The Zak twins, Lisa and Becky, are the first two players in the history of the women's program at Canisius to have their last name start with the letter “Z”.

The Zaks Provide Another First The Zak sisters are also the first set of twins to ever appear on the Canisius College women's basketball roster.

Looking to Add Her Name Senior Jes Butler is a graduate of Rindge & Latin High School in Cambridge, Mass., the same school that produced former NBA great and current Washington Wizard assistant coach Patrick Ewing. Mike Jarvis, the head coach of the St. John's Red Storm coached at Rindge & Latin, and actors Ben Afflack and Matt Damon once graced the same high school hallways as Butler.

Lights, Camera, Action Sophomore guard Cavanaugh Hagen graduated from T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Va., the same school that was the focus of the Disney film Remember the Titans, starring Denzel Washington. The hit movie focused on the school's 1971 state championship football team.

Non-Conference Schedule Canisius closed out its non-conference schedule with a win over St. Francis (Pa.) Jan. 2, at home. The Blue and Gold went 5-4 this season in games against teams from outside the MAAC. It was the Griffs' best season against non-conference foes since the 1994-95 season.

Magic Bus Canisius will travel to all 15 road games this season via bus. So far the team has compiled 64 hours on a bus.
Last Time Out Canisius trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half, but the hot three-point shooting of junior Jenel Stevens and senior Jill Knapic helped push the Golden Griffins to a 60-53 win over Marist on the road. The win marks the first time this season Canisius has won a game despite trailing at the half. The Blue and Gold is now 9-8 overall and 4-4 in MAAC play, while Marist falls to 7-9 overall and 3-4 in conference action. The game featured 10 lead changes, with four of those coming in the final five and a half minutes of action. Stevens finished the game with a game-high 25 points and 10 rebounds after shooting 9-for-12 from the field and 3-for-5 from behind the three-point arc. Knapic, who was playing just her fourth game of the season, scored 11 points in 14 minutes of action after shooting 3-for-4 from three-point land. The win over Marist kept Canisius' streak of rebounding a loss with a win. Canisius has not lost back-to-back games since Dec. 1, and Dec. 6, when the Griffs fell to Mt. St. Mary's and Saint Peter's. Canisius will look to win two consecutive games for the first time since Nov. 22-23, when the Blue and Gold scored wins over Stetson and Eastern Michigan. The Griffs will return to action Jan. 30, when the Siena Saints come to the Koessler Athletic Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#34 Shauna Geronzin: F; 6' 0"; Senior

#32 Lonnie Brown: G; 5' 10"; Junior

#31 Jes Butler: F/C; 6' 0"; Senior

#22 Karly Chesko: G; 5' 6"; Freshman

#35 Paja Grasevova: F; 6' 1"; Senior

#30 Cavanaugh Hagen: G; 5' 8"; Sophomore

#33 Jill Knapic: G; 5' 8"; Senior

#25 Jackie Richards: F/C; 6' 1"; Freshman

#5 Christine Salinas: G; 5' 7"; Sophomore

#13 Jessica Steeves: F/C; 6' 3"; Freshman

#24 Cheri Wittlieb: G; 5' 10"; Freshman

#20 Becky Zak: G; 5' 6"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#34 Shauna Geronzin
: 6' 0"; Senior
: F

#32 Lonnie Brown
: 5' 10"; Junior
: G

#31 Jes Butler
: 6' 0"; Senior
: F/C

#22 Karly Chesko
: 5' 6"; Freshman
: G

#35 Paja Grasevova
: 6' 1"; Senior
: F

#30 Cavanaugh Hagen
: 5' 8"; Sophomore
: G

#33 Jill Knapic
: 5' 8"; Senior
: G

#25 Jackie Richards
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: F/C

#5 Christine Salinas
: 5' 7"; Sophomore
: G

#13 Jessica Steeves
: 6' 3"; Freshman
: F/C

#24 Cheri Wittlieb
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: G

#20 Becky Zak
: 5' 6"; Freshman
: G