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Xanthippi Karatasiou celebrates a lay-up against No.21 Illinois
Joe Lehrman
68
Winner Illinois Illini 7-1,0-0 Big Ten
55
Canisius Canis 1-6,0-0 MAAC
Winner
Illinois Illini
7-1,0-0 Big Ten
68
Final
55
Canisius Canis
1-6,0-0 MAAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Illinois Illini 19 20 15 14 68
Canisius Canis 11 17 18 9 55

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Women’s Basketball Battles but Falls Short to No. 21 Illinois

Despite a career-high nine points from senior Xanthippi Karatasiou and 10 points from graduate student Jaela Johnson, Canisius could not surpass No. 21 Illinois, falling by a 68-55 margin in non-conference collegiate women's basketball action Monday at the Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo, N.Y.

The Golden Griffins moved to 1-6 on the season with the loss, while the Fighting Illini improved to 7-1 overall with the victory. 

The Blue and Gold put up a gritty performance as they hosted their first nationally ranked opponent in program history and welcomed back Canisius' all-time leading scorer and Illini head coach, Shauna Green. Five players scored more than five points in the effort and held the Illini to their third lowest point total of the season. 

Karatasiou was the spark plug off the bench, recording a career-high nine points and going 2-for-2 from beyond the arc. Johnson continued to lead the Griffs in scoring, finishing with 10 points while also pitching in three assists and four rebounds. Senior Cory Santoro had her best game yet in a Griffs uniform, scoring nine points off the bench as she went 3-for-4 from three-point range.

The Illini gained the upper hand in the first quarter, holding the Griffs scoreless for a three-minute stretch to go up 17-6. The Griffs rattled off a 5-2 run to close out the quarter, sparked by a Santoro three, and cut the deficit to eight.

The Griffs brought the lead down to five in the opening moments of the second quarter, but a 16-2 run brought the Illinois lead back out to double digits. The Griffs once again battled back at the end the quarter, as three-pointers from Karatasiou and sophomore Mary Copple allowed Canisius to go on a 10-2 run to make it a 39-28 contest at the break.

The third quarter saw the Griffs outscore the Illini by an 18-15 margin. Karatasiou carried the Griffs on a 10-2 run to cut the lead to 47-42 at the 1:41 mark of the third quarter.

The Illini extended their lead out to double-digits early in the fourth, but the Griffs rattled off six consecutive points to trim the lead to 56-50 before an Illinois timeout. After the break, the Illinois defensive pressure increased and held the Griffs to five points for the remaining seven minutes of the game, capping off a 68-55 win.

GAME NOTES
• This marked the second meeting between the two programs. The Griffs are now 0-2 all-time against the Fighting Illini.
• The Griffs are now 0-12 against ranked opponents but held Illinois to 68 points, the lowest point total ever for a ranked opponent versus the Griffs.
• Karatasiou recorded her first points of the season in the contest and the first two three-point field goals of her career. Before this game, Karatasiou had scored a total of two points in her career.
• Johnson reached double figures for the fourth straight game, tying a career high. She leads the Griffs with a 10.6 points per game scoring average.
• Sophomore Shariah Gailes tied a career-high in assists in today's contest with four. She also scored six points and collected six rebounds
• Junior Mariam Sanogo scored a career-high eight points and grabbed four rebounds.

UP NEXT
The Griffs begin a four-game road swing on Dec. 7, traveling to Akron to face the Zips in a noon contest. 

SUPPORT THE GRIFFS
Support the Canisius women's basketball team in conjunction with the "More Than A Game" campaign. Your donation to the women's basketball program helps our student-athletes continue to be champions in the community, in the classroom and in competition. To donate, CLICK HERE.

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