Women's Basketball 1/29/2003 12:00:00 AM Canisius College Athletics

Women's Basketball Entertains Siena

. Siena (13-5, 6-2 MAAC) at Canisius (10-8, 5-4 MAAC) Thursday, Jan. 30, 2003?7:00 p.m. Koessler Athletic Center?Buffalo, N.Y. Internet/Radio: www.gogriffs.com (Joe Clifford, play-by-play) TV: None

Tonight Canisius plays host to Siena College in the Koessler Athletic Center. The Golden Griffins are looking to extend their recent success tonight after winning back-to-back games for the first time since Nov. 22-23, the opening weekend of Canisius' season. Junior guard Jenel Stevens was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's Player of the Week Jan. 27, after averaging 28.3 points, 12 rebounds, five steals and 1.3 assists in three games last week. Canisius head coach Mike Decillis became just the third Canisius women's coach in program history to win 55 games on the Blue and Gold's bench with his win at Iona Jan. 26. Tonight the Griffs will wear special t-shirts during warm-ups as the Griffs and the MAAC recognize the Young Survival Coalition and the MAAC Fights Back Against Breast Cancer program. The MAAC is looking to raise awareness for breast cancer research and overall female health. Both teams' coaches will wear pins in support of this cause.

Scouting the Saints Siena enters tonight's game as the MAAC's only team with an rpi ranking in the Top 100, according to www.collegerpi.com. The Saints are ranked 82nd in the nation as of Jan. 29. Siena has won two games in a row after dropping Fairfield on the road Jan. 26, by a 67-55 count. The Saints are led offensively by junior Liene Jansone, who is scoring 15.8 points and pulling down a team best 8.9 rebounds per contest. Senior forward Gunta Basko, the two-time reigning MAAC Player of the Year is chipping in 14.1 points per outing, while pulling down 8.8 rebounds a game. Guard Erica Anderson is also averaging in double figures, tossing in 12.2 points per game. Siena is 4-1 in its last five games and is 6-2 in the 2003 calendar year. The Saints will travel to Niagara Feb. 1, to meet the Purple Eagles for the second time in a week.

Series History Siena holds a 30-12 all-time series advantage over Canisius, and has won the last five meetings between these two teams. Last season the Saints scored a series sweep with two wins, including an 87-81 win here in the Koessler Athletic Center, despite a game-high 23 points from guard Jill Knapic. Canisius last beat Siena during the 1999-00 season here in the KAC by an 88-74 score.

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 55-73; .430 (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 14 games this season. She has been credited with double figures in the scoring column in all 18 games and scored her career-high 36 points against Niagara Jan. 21. Her 23.4 points per game (as of Jan. 27,) ranks her 9th in the nation in scoring average. Stevens is also the team's leading rebounder, pulling down 10.4 boards per game. She ranks 17th in the country in that category (as of Jan. 27) and is currently 10th all-time in Canisius women's history in rebounds. She currently ranks second in the conference in steals with 3.2 swipes per game. She is 30th in the country in steals, joining Niagara's Eva Cunningham as the only MAAC players listed in the nation's Top 30 in steals. 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 tonight's contest ranked 19th all-time in career points scored with 897. She needs three points to reach 900 career points and 21 points to move into sole possession of 18th place on the all-time Canisius scoring list.
Canisius Milestones Canisius' game at UMBC Nov. 30, was the Blue and Gold's 700th game in program history... Senior Keia McFadden is currently the program's active leader in games played with 102 entering tonight's game and needs to start in one more game to give her 50 starts for her career... The next game Jenel Stevens plays in her be the 75th game in her three-year career in Blue and Gold... Two freshmen, Jessica Steeves and Cheri Wittlieb have played in all 18 Canisius games this season, with Wittlieb starting in the last three ball games. No Canisius freshmen played in every single 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 10-5 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 nine 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 Feb. 16, against Marist.

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 73 hours on a bus.

Last Time Out Three Golden Griffins scored in double figures, led by junior Jenel Stevens' game-high 25 points and 10 rebounds, as Canisius College dropped Iona College 68-57 in a MAAC game in New Rochelle, N.Y., Jan. 26. The win improves Canisius to 10-8 overall and 5-4 in MAAC action, while Iona, losers in its last eight games, falls to 1-15, 0-7 in conference play. Canisius led by as many as 18 points in the first half in 51.5 percent from the field in the game's first 20 minutes. Canisius held a 41-28 lead at the intermission, but struggled in the first six minutes of the second half to allow the host Gaels back into the game. The Blue and Gold actually trailed 55-50 after Iona went on a 12-0 run, ending with a Canisius basket. The Griffs responded with a 7-0 run over the next 3:43 of the contest, keyed by a Stevens' three-point basket, which gave the Blue and Gold the lead for good at 57-55. Stevens was 8-for-19 from the field and 2-for-6 from behind the three-point line in the win. Freshman Cheri Wittlieb scored 16 points after shooting 5-for-9 from the field and 3-for-7 from behind the arc in her third career start. Senior center Jes Butler had 14 points and nine rebounds in the win. The back-to-back wins marked the first time the Griffs won two games in a row since the season's opening weekend, and it allowed the team to finish the week 2-1 in conference play. Canisius plays host to Siena Jan. 30, with tipoff 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

#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

#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