LAST TIME OUT
• Sophomore Tiana Pugh had her best game as a Golden Griffin last game, pouring in 19 points and five rebounds, however the Canisius women's basketball team came up short against Middle Tennessee, 55-45 in Ediburgh, Texas. 
• The final game of the UTRGV Holiday Classic ended Canisius' non-conference schedule as the squad dropped to 2-9 overall. The Blue Raiders improved to 7-5.
• The Griffs hung with Middle Tennessee throughout the game, and looked poised to take the lead in the contest with 4:50 remaining in regulation, as Pugh drained a pair of free throw chances to make it 42-41, Blue Raiders.
• However Middle Tennessee went on a 13-4 run in the final five minutes to stake claim to the 55-45 victory.
• Pugh's 19 points led the offense, meanwhile Sara Hinriksdottir battled through an erratic day shooting (3-of-10) and ended up with 12 points. The Iceland native went 6-of-6 from the charity stripe buoying her point total.
• Sarah Cooley and Anna Sweny led the team in rebounding with six each, meanwhile Cooley capped her day leading the team in assists with four.

SCOUTING THE GRIFFS
• Hinriksdottir continues to be the team's most productive point producer, as she is averaging 13.7 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per contest.
• Margret Halfdanardottir is next on the scoring list, posting 9.1 points per game, while Maria Welch is also hovering around the double-digit plateau, averaging 7.9. 
• Canisius is averaging 55.1 points per game and is allowing 69.2 for a -14.1 scoring margin.
• The team is shooting 36.0 percent from the field , while opponents are limited to 39.5.
• As a team the Griffs have averaged 36.8 boards per game and opponents are taking down 41.3.
• The Griffs are averaging 18.4 turnovers per contest, while opponents are giving it away 12.9 times per game. 

FAIRFIELD SCOUT
• Fairfield enters the game on Friday with a 3-8 overall record.
• The Stags tested themselves during their 11-game non-conference schedule which featured various spots along the East Coast. 
• During the slate, the Stags took on teams from the Big East, Atlantic Coast Conference, and Colonial Athletic Association, among others. 
• Highlighted in the results was a 66-58 victory at ACC member Boston College, their first victory in Chestnut Hill since 2000.
• Samantha Cooper is Stags' leader in both points per game (15.5) and rebounds per game (9.5).
• The redshirt senior recently became the 31st player in program history to reach 1,000 career points as she accomplished the feat at Seton Hall. Cooper now ranks eighth all-time in rebounds and 31st in points.
• Sam Kramer also averages double-digit points, boasting an 11.4 points per game mark. 
• As a team the Stags are averaging 58.5 points through 11 contests, and have allowed 65.8 points per game to opponents.
• The Stags hold a negative rebounding margin, (-4.7) taking down 34.2 boards per game while opponents are averaing 38.9

SERIES HISTORY AGAINST FAIRFIELD
• The Griffs enter this contest against the Stags, looking to close the gap in the series history, with Fairfield leading 38-24.
• Last season Canisius opened up the two-game set with a 63-49 victory against the Stags, but Fairfield evened the score on Feb. 24, at home, taking down the Griffs 58-47.
• The Blue and Gold holds an identical 10-18 at home and on the road, while boasting a 4-2 neutral site (MAAC tournament) record.
• Canisius also has struggled in its last 10 against the Stags, having gone 8-2 in that time, but have kept it closer at home, going 2-3 at the Koessler Athletic Center. 

PUGH BREAKS OUT
• Sophomore Tiana Pugh has shown flashes of brilliance in her young career and has all the physical tools you'd like to see in a player.
• However she may have begun to put it all together in a pre-Christmas match up against Middle Tennessee State, when she tallied a career best 19 points.
• She tallied new career-bests in points (19), minutes (31), field goals (6), 3-pointers (3) and free throw makes (4).
• These marks come after setting her previous career mark in points (9) against Cornell earlier in the season.