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Athina Lexa attempts a 3-point shot against Niagara
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55
Canisius Canis 3-17,1-10 MAAC
66
Winner Iona Iona 6-10,4-7 MAAC
Canisius Canis
3-17,1-10 MAAC
55
Final
66
Iona Iona
6-10,4-7 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Canisius Canis 10 20 9 16 55
Iona Iona 15 18 18 15 66

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Iona Dominates the Paint, Defeats Women’s Basketball

Iona scored 54 of its 66 points inside the paint, aiding the Gaels to a 66-55 victory over Canisius in MAAC women's basketball action Thursday from the Hynes Athletics Center in New Rochelle, N.Y.
 
Ketsia Athias posted 24 points and 15 rebounds – both of which were Division I career highs – for her second double-double as a member of the Gaels, while Thoranna Hodge-Carr chipped in a single-game best 15 points for Iona (6-10, 4-7 MAAC).
 
Freshman Athina Lexa scored a team-high 14 points, posting her fifth double-digit point total in her last six games. Sophomore Dani Haskell added 11 points, six rebounds and a career-high six assists for the Griffs (3-17, 1-10 MAAC).
 
GAME RECAP
Iona opened a 13-3 lead after holding Canisius scoreless for six-plus minutes in the first quarter. The Griffs countered with a 7-0 run late in the quarter to cut the Gaels' lead to 13-10 before a Juana Camilion layup following a Canisius turnover gave Iona a five-point lead after the opening quarter.
 
Six of Canisius' seven made field goals in the second quarter came from beyond the 3-point line as the Griffs went into the locker room at halftime down 33-30.
 
The first four made shots in the quarter for Canisius came from downtown as graduate student Ella Väätänen converted back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the contest, 19-19. Freshman Cheyenne Stubbs and junior Shaunae Brown converted 3-point shots before the media timeout. Brown's triple put the Griffs ahead, 22-21, before Iona's Marina Cenis went 1-for-2 from the free-throw line, drawing the game even at 22-all with 5:36 left in the period.
 
Cenis' free throw was the first of six unanswered points for Iona that gave the Gaels a 27-22 lead with three minutes left. The Griffs and Gaels then swapped points on the final seven scoring plays of the half, leading to Iona's three-point halftime lead.
 
Iona opened the first five-plus minutes of the second half on a 14-2 run to grab its lead to the largest of the game, 47-34.
 
Canisius used a 14-6 spurt spanning the third and fourth quarters to bring the deficit back to five, 53-48, with 6:23 left in the contest. Väätänen converted her third 3-pointer of the night with 3:20 left to make it a four-point game, 57-53, before Iona solidified the victory by closing out the game on a 9-2 run.
 
Head Coach Sahar Nusseibeh's Postgame Comments
"Tonight we battled with inconsistency in our energy and focus. Athias had a career night on us and we just didn't have an answer for her in the paint. Iona had a great game plan and executed it extremely well. We will look to get back to work tomorrow and address being more consistent in what we bring."
 
Game Notes
• Thursday was the 65th all-time meeting between Canisius and Iona and the first meeting between the two schools since Feb. 27, 2020. Canisius is now 27-38 all-time against the Gaels and has lost each of their last three to Iona.
• Canisius made 10 shots from beyond the arc in the setback, the team's sixth game with at least 10 made 3-pointers. It is the first time Canisius has at least six games with 10-plus made shots from downtown in a season since 2008-09 when the team had seven such performances.
• With the six made 3-pointers in the second quarter, it marks the Griffs' second consecutive game making six treys in a quarter. The six triples are tied for the most by Canisius in a single period since reverting to the four-quarter format prior to the 2015-16 season.
• Lexa's 14 points are tied for her season-high scoring output, matching her 14-point effort at Saint Peter's on Jan. 20.
• Väätänen made a trio of 3-pointers in the contest, setting a new single-game high. She previously made a pair of 3-point shots on six other occasions, including three times earlier this season.
• Haskell is the first Canisius player with at least 10 points, six rebounds and six assists in a game since D'Jhai Patterson-Ricks (20 points, six rebounds, six assists) on Jan. 4, 2020, at Monmouth.
 
Up Next
Canisius will head to Connecticut for the final two games of its three-game road trip. The Griffs will be back in action on Saturday against Fairfield from Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport. Tipoff between the Golden Griffins and Stags is scheduled for 2 p.m., with game action broadcast on ESPN+.
 
For complete coverage of Canisius women's basketball, please follow the Griffs on social media at @GriffsWBB on Instagram and Twitter.
 
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