Women's Basketball 12/29/2009 2:00:00 AM Canisius College Athletics

Offense Continues to Struggle in Loss to New Hampshire

A layup from Jill McDonald with 26 seconds left proved to be the game-winning basket as the Canisius College women's basketball team lost 42-40 to New Hampshire in the Koessler Athletic Center on Monday night. The Golden Griffins lose their fourth straight game, ending the non-conference schedule with a 5-6 record.

Senior Tasia Lee led all players with a career-high 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Senior Brittané Russell had 13 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals. Canisius struggled from the floor offensively, shooting 26.7 percent overall. The Griffs held New Hampshire (5-6) to 34 percent from the field and forced 20 turnovers.

“In most aspects of the game, I thought we played well. We committed 14 turnovers, forced 20 turnovers and battled New Hampshire on the boards,” Canisius coach Terry Zeh said. “If you don't make shots in the game of basketball, you aren't going to win. I felt we took good shots tonight, we just aren't making enough of them.”

Neither team held more than a two-point lead throughout the first half. The Griffs went up 12-11 on a 3-pointer from Lee at 10:45. The teams would then score one combined basket during the next six-and-a-half minutes, with Lauren Wells making a 3-pointer for New Hampshire to make it 14-12 with just over eight minutes remaining in the half. Russell had a three-point-play to put Canisius ahead 15-14 with four minutes remaining, but New Hampshire scored five of the final nine points in the half to go up 19-17 at the break.

New Hampshire built its lead to five points on two separate occasions in the second half, with Canisius responding each time. Down 30-25, the Griffs got a 3-pointer from Russell and a steal from the senior that set up a jumper from freshman Allison Braun to tie the game at 30-30.

New Hampshire took a 37-32 lead on a layup from Cari Reed with 7:43 left, but the Griffs scored the next six points, capped by a layup from Braun to go up 38-37 with five minutes remaining. New Hampshire responded with a layup from McDonald to go up 39-38 with 4:38 left and neither team would score for nearly four minutes.

Off a defensive rebound, Russell found a streaking Lee, who caught the over-the-shoulder pass and made the layup to put Canisius ahead 40-39 with 43 seconds remaining. The Wildcats came out of a timeout and Simpson hit McDonald with a bounce pass to give the Wildcats a 41-40 lead with 26 seconds left.

New Hampshire forced a Canisius turnover and Denise Beliveau, made the front end of a one-and-one, and missed the back end to put the Wildcats up 42-40. Candace Williams grabbed the offensive rebound, and would miss the front end of a one-and-one. Canisius grabbed the rebound, and Russell got into the frontcourt, with her desperation attempt at the buzzer bouncing off the backboard.

Canisius begins conference play this weekend, starting at defending league champion Marist on Sunday. Game time at the McCann Center is set for 2 p.m.

Notes: Canisius extended its NCAA record of consecutive games with a 3-pointer to 465 games on a 3-pointer by Russell in the first half… Canisius and New Hampshire met for the third time overall and for the first time in Buffalo… Canisius lost to a team in the America East conference for the first time in eight meetings… Canisius has a losing record in non-conference play for the second time in the last three seasons… Lee set a career high in scoring for the second time this season. The senior had 12 points against Youngstown State on Nov. 22... With the halftime score 19-17 in favor of New Hampshire, it was the first game since Canisius went to the Division I level (1986-87) that neither team scored 20 points in the first half… The 82 combined points in the game are the fewest in Canisius history… The game featured 14 lead changes and eight ties... Canisius fell to 43-5 under Zeh when holding an opponent to under 35 percent from the field... Canisius lost for the first time in 20 games under Zeh when limiting to the opposition to 50 or fewer points.

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Players Mentioned

#15 Allison Braun: G; 5' 10"; Freshman

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

Players Mentioned

#15 Allison Braun
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: G

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

Players Mentioned

#15 Allison Braun

#3 Tasia Lee

Players Mentioned

#15 Allison Braun

#3 Tasia Lee