Box Score The Canisius women's basketball team dropped its final game of the non-conference schedule in a 72-55 loss to the University at Buffalo in the Koessler Athletic Center on Monday night.
Junior Crystal Porter led Canisius with 14 points in 23 minutes while senior Kayla Hoohuli had 12 points and made multiple 3-pointers for the seventh time in the last eight games. Junior Tiahana Mills added 11 points, six rebounds and two steals.
“UB came out and jumped on us from the start, and I was disappointed in our energy level from the tip. We find it for a couple of possessions but aren't able to sustain it,” Canisius coach Terry Zeh said. “We have to get back to being the team that competed during the first few weeks of the season to find success in league play.”
Kristen Sharkey scored 17 of her game-high 26 points for Buffalo (7-4) in the first half. The Bulls would score eight straight points to go up 24-11 with just over six minutes left in the first half. Canisius chipped away with an 8-1 run, getting four free throws from Mills during the run, to trim the deficit to 31-25 as Buffalo took a seven-point lead into the locker room.
Canisius answered the first two UB runs in the second half. The Griffs scored two baskets – layups from Porter and Hoohuli – in seven seconds to half the UB run and make it 44-33 with 17 minutes left. Buffalo answered with six straight points, but a 7-2 run from the Griffs, including a 3-pointer from Hoohuli, made it 51-40 with just over 13 minutes left. UB broke the game open for good with a 12-3 run and put the game away by going inside and scoring layups on four consecutive possessions.
Mackenzie Loesing had 13 points in 22 minutes off the bench for Buffalo, who shot 40 percent in the game and held Canisius to 28.8 percent from the floor.
Canisius (4-7, 2-0 MAAC) resumes conference play on Friday, at Manhattan. Game time in Riverdale, N.Y. is set for 7 p.m.
Notes: Canisius and Buffalo met for the 38th time. The Bulls have won four of the last five games in the series… Mills had at least one steal for the 23rd consecutive game… Canisius shot a season-high 31 free throws… Canisius has allowed 70 or more points in five straight games... Porter reached double digits for a team-best ninth time this season.
