Women's Basketball 3/5/2005 12:00:00 AM Canisius College Athletics

Women's Basketball Comes From Behind to Defeat Niagara

Becky Zak scored on a three-point play with 10 seconds left to lift the second-seeded Canisius College women's basketball team (20-9) to a 71-68 victory over third-seeded Niagara (17-12) in the semifinal round of the MAAC Tournament at HSBC Arena Saturday afternoon.

Canisius advances to the championship game for the second-straight season and will take on top-seeded and defending champion Marist at 11 a.m., Sunday at HSBC Arena. The winner between the Griffs and Red Foxes, who come into the contest on a 16-game winning streak, gains an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The Golden Griffins erased a four-point deficit in the last 1:15 to earn the thrilling victory. With Canisius down 68-66, Zak was fouled going to the basket with 16 seconds left. The junior netted 1-of-2 from the line, but teammate Megan Lyte grabbed one of her eight rebounds off the second miss to keep possession for Canisius.

After a timeout, Zak drove baseline and got bumped as she made a layup. This time, she hit the foul shot to give Canisius a 70-68 lead, its first since early in the second half, with 10 seconds remaining.

Niagara inbounded the ball to MAAC Player of the Year Eva Cunningham, who tallied a career-high 34 points in the contest. The senior drove the length of the court under pressure, but her runner with two seconds left was too strong. Zak grabbed the rebound with 0.5 seconds left to preserve the victory.

"I think everyone saw a great college basketball game there today," Canisius head coach Terry Zeh said. "People saw two great teams battling back and forth, some great individual efforts and some really great plays. What a basketball game."

Jessica Steeves led the Griffs with a career-high 24 points to go along with nine rebounds and three blocked shots, and the junior was the go-to player down the stretch. With Canisius trailing 67-62 with 1:32 to play, she got fouled in the post and went 2-for-2 from the line on consecutive Canisius possessions to keep the Griffs within striking distance. Steeves finished the game 7-for-12 from the field and 10-for-12 from the free-throw line.

Abby Radunske and Karly Chesko gave major contributions off the bench as each Griff scored eight points. Chesko added a team-high six assists, while Radunske corralled eight rebounds. The Griffs bench outscored Niagara 16-9 for the game, and Canisius went 26-for-33 from the free-throw line as a team.

"Everyone on our team today contributed in one way or another," Zak said. "Just look at Megan Lyte's rebound, that was just a huge offensive rebound."

Shaunna Ambrose tallied 11 points and three rebounds for Niagara, and Toni Smalley registered 11 points and five boards. Chantelle Wilson came off the bench to score seven points. The Purple Eagles scored five-straight points out of the eight-minute media timeout to open a 61-53 cushion with 5:40 to go after a pair of Cunningham free throws. Zak cut the margin to 63-58 with a three-pointer, but the Griffs could get no closer until the game moved inside the final minute.

The first half saw five lead changes and four ties as the teams spent most of the frame trading buckets. Niagara used an 8-2 run, capped by consecutive triples by Wilson and Ambrose, to open a 25-18 cushion with 7:20 remaining.

Canisius came back with a heavy dose of Steeves in the post. The junior tallied eight of her 13 first-half points inside the last 4:52 as the teams went into the break tied 33-33. Both clubs made their living at the free-throw line as Niagara went 9-for-9, and the Griffs were 14-for-15.

"I knew in the game that Jess was feeling it," Zeh said. "She made a basket early on after making a really good post move, and I knew from that point on she was going to have a good day."

The victory gives Canisius 20 wins for the fifth time in school history and the first since the 1989-90 season. Zeh becomes the second coach in school history to post 20 wins in his first season, joining Canisius Hall of Famer Sr. Maria Pares.

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Players Mentioned

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

#44 Megan Lyte: F; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#11 Abby Radunske: G/F; 5' 11"; Sophomore

#13 Jessica Steeves: C; 6' 3"; Junior

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

Players Mentioned

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

#44 Megan Lyte
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: F

#11 Abby Radunske
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: G/F

#13 Jessica Steeves
: 6' 3"; Junior
: C

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