Women's Basketball Drops Season Opener

EMMITSBURG, Md. – Mount St. Mary's scored 14 of the game's 19 points during the final five minutes to overcome a four-point Canisius lead and defeat the Golden Griffins 55-51 in the season opener for both teams at Knott Arena on Saturday afternoon.

Senior Ellie Radke led Canisius (0-1) with a game-high 17 points (7-for-14 shooting) in the game, to go along with six rebounds and three steals in a career-high 35 minutes. Senior Brittané Russell had 10 points in 29 minutes while freshman Ashley Durham added nine points.

“We had a tough time stopping Mount St. Mary's inside. They are a physical team,” Canisius coach Terry Zeh said. “We don't have a lot in offensively, and that's on me. You can play really good defense, but we need to score more points.”

Mount St. Mary's (1-0) took an 11-5 lead on a 3-pointer from Selina Mann, and the Griffs responded with a 14-5 run. During that spurt, Radke had a three-point play and Tasia Lee drained a 3-pointer from the corner. A pull-up 3-pointer from Durham put Canisius ahead 19-15 with 6:52 left in the half.

Canisius held a 24-21 halftime lead and each team came out strong to start the second half. Canisius scored on three of its first four second-half possessions but the Mountaineers hung with them, scoring 10 points in the first 4:11 of the second half to take a 33-30 lead on a jumper from Hassanah Oliver.

The teams stayed tight for the rest of the game, with no team taking more than a four-point lead until Radke made two free throws at the 5:03 mark. The Mountaineers scored 10 of the next 12 points as Canisius made one field goal during the final six minutes of the contest. Mount St. Mary's went inside for a key four-point stretch, getting layups from Sandra Andresson and Courtney Nyce to take a 52-48 lead it wouldn't relinquish.

Oliver and Andresson were the only Mount St. Mary's players to reach double figures, each scoring 13 in the contest. Oliver also had five assists and seven rebounds while Leah Westbrooks pulled down a game-high eight rebounds.

Canisius opens its home schedule on Tuesday, when the Golden Griffins host St. Bonaventure. Tip time in the Koessler Athletic Center is set for 7 p.m.

Notes: Canisius extended its NCAA record of consecutive games with a 3-pointer to 455 games on a 3-pointer by Lee midway through the first half… Canisius and Mount St. Mary's met for the fifth time, with the home team winning all five matchups in the series… Lee made her first career start as a Golden Griffin, took the jump ball and scored the first basket of the season for the Griffs… Stephanie MacDonald played a career-high 32 minutes, topping the 30-minute mark for the first time in her career.

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Players Mentioned

#22 Ashley Durham: G; 5' 5"; Freshman

#3 Tasia Lee: G; 5' 8"; Senior

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

Players Mentioned

#22 Ashley Durham
: 5' 5"; Freshman
: G

#3 Tasia Lee
: 5' 8"; Senior
: G

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

Players Mentioned

#22 Ashley Durham

#3 Tasia Lee

#35 Ellie Radke

Players Mentioned

#22 Ashley Durham

#3 Tasia Lee

#35 Ellie Radke