Women's Basketball Drops Opener to No. 18 West Virginia

Women's Basketball 1/19/2008 12:00:00 AM Canisius College Athletics

Women's Basketball Rallies to Win Over Niagara

Box Score

The Canisius College women's basketball team used a 27-8 run during a stretch of 11:19 in the second half to rally from a seven-point halftime deficit to defeat Niagara University 63-57 from the Koessler Athletic Center Friday.

Canisius (8-9, 3-3 MAAC) had four players reach double figures, led by 15 points from Brittan? Russell, who also had eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals. Laura Buetow had a season-high 14 points to go along with seven rebounds and two blocks. Amanda Cavo had 12 points, which all came in the second half while Micayla Drysdale also had 12 points, connecting on 4-of-7 3-pointers.

“I felt that we were so excited at the start of the game, that we played rushed in the first half. Niagara made shots in the first half to build the lead,” Canisius coach Terry Zeh said. “In the second half, it was a very physical game, but we got some much-needed stops during our run.”

Niagara (3-14, 1-5) controlled the majority of the first half, going up by eight points on a 3-pointer by Sarah Wilson to make the score 18-10 at the 10:04 mark. The Griffs could never get closer than six points during the rest of the half, falling behind by 10 points on six separate occasions.

The Purple Eagles held a 37-29 lead after Michelle Manfredi split two free throws with 16:11 remaining in the second half. Canisius then put together its 27-8 run, holding Niagara to three made field goals and two made free throws during the stretch of 11:19. Cavo had nine points during the run while Ellie Radke contributed seven points. Russell made two 3-pointers, with her first trey giving Canisius a 44-41 lead, the only lead change of the game, and Russell's second trey made the score 56-45 with 4:52 remaining. Niagara never got closer than six the rest of the game.

The Griffs had 12 assists in the game and combined with the 14 from the men's team, Canisius had 26 assists on the night. The Canisius athletic department will contribute $75 for each assist to the Brian Dux Assist Fund.

Jennifer McNamee led the Purple Eagles with 13 points while Michelle Manfredi had a game-high nine rebounds.
Canisius returns to the road when the Griffs play at Marist on Monday. Game time is set for 4 p.m. The game will be shown on tape delay on Tuesday, at 8 p.m.

Game Notes: Canisius extended its streak of games with a made 3-point field goal to 407 on a make by Drysdale in the first half... Russell matched her season-high for assists, which also came against Colgate Nov. 12... The Griffs had four players reach double figures for the third time this season... Canisius had 13 or fewer turnovers for the fifth time in seven games... Zeh has won six of eight games against Niagara in his career... Russell had three or more steals for the 17th time in the last 26 games... Radke missed two free throws in a game for the first time this season... Canisius won for the seventh time in four years under Zeh when trailing by four or more points at halftime... The win by the Griffs, combined with the men's basketball win, moves Canisius to within three points of clinching the Canal Cup in the 2007-08 Battle of the Bridge competition. Canisius owns a 15-3 advantage in the points.

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Players Mentioned

#53 Laura Buetow: C; 6' 3"; Redshirt

#12 Amanda Cavo: G; 5' 9"; Junior

#23 Micayla Drysdale: G; 5' 9"; Freshman

#35 Ellie Radke: F; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#1 Brittan? Russell: G; 5' 5"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#53 Laura Buetow
: 6' 3"; Redshirt
: C

#12 Amanda Cavo
: 5' 9"; Junior
: G

#23 Micayla Drysdale
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: G

#35 Ellie Radke
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: F

#1 Brittan? Russell
: 5' 5"; Sophomore
: G