Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Canisius University Athletics

#Griffs The Official Home of the Canisius University Golden Griffins | #Griffs
Saige Randolph guarding Siena player at UHY Center (12.21.24)
Joe Lehrman
61
Canisius Canis 1-10,0-2 MAAC
67
Winner Siena Siena 5-5,2-0 MAAC
Canisius Canis
1-10,0-2 MAAC
61
Final
67
Siena Siena
5-5,2-0 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Canisius Canis 19 12 13 17 61
Siena Siena 19 16 10 22 67

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Women’s Basketball Falls in Tightly Contested Match at Siena

Junior Franka Wittenberg and senior Cory Santoro turned in season-high scoring performances, but it was not enough as Siena scored the final seven points of the game to record a 67-61 victory over Canisius Saturday in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference women's basketball action at the UHY Center in Loudonville, N.Y. 

The Golden Griffins fell to 1-10 overall and 0-2 in MAAC play with the loss to the Saints. Siena improved to an even 5-5 on the season with a 2-0 conference ledger.

Wittenberg led Canisius in scoring with a season-high 17-points off of 60 percent shooting (6-for-10), highlighted by a 2-for-2 effort from beyond the arc. Santoro had her best performance in Griff uniform, scoring 14 points while shooting 50 percent from three-point land (4-for-8). Graduate Jaela Johnson finished with six assists and seven points while sophomore Shariah Gailes grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.

Teresa Seppala scored a game-high 19 points for Siena, going 3-for-6 from distance. Seppala capped off her night with a go-ahead three pointer with 30 seconds left in regulation that sealed the win for the Saints.

The game got off to a fast-paced start, with the Griffs taking an early 12-8 lead. Canisius shot 42.9 percent from the floor in the quarter and went 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. Siena battled back to take a 19-16 lead with 25 seconds remaining in the period before senior Xanthippi Karatasiou hit a long-distance three at the buzzer to tie the game at 19-19 after 10 minutes. 

Siena took a 35-31 into halftime after holding the Griffs to 12 points and 29.4 percent shooting in the second quarter. Canisius kept it close with six points from Wittenberg in the frame. 

Trailing 45-44 at the start of the fourth, the Griffs opened the final frame on a 6-1 run over the opening three minutes to grab the lead. After Siena rattled off seven unanswered points to retake the lead, Santoro and Johnson hit back-to-back threes to put the Griffs up 59-55 with 3:10 remaining. Siena battled back once more, pulling in front, 60-59, before Wittenberg sank a pair of free throws to give Canisius a 61-60 lead with 45 seconds to play.

The Saints took control of the game on their next possession, as Seppala's three pointer with 30 seconds to play put Siena in front, 63-61. The Griffs were unable to convert on its next two possessions, allowing Siena to pad its advantage as it hit all four of its free throws in the final seconds to secure the six-point victory.  

GAME NOTES
• Saturday's contest marked the 84th meeting between the two programs with the Saint now leading the all-time series 58-26.
• The teams exchanged the lead 12 times throughout the course of the game with 10 ties.
• The Griffs made a season-high 14 free throws while recording the most free-throw attempts of the season with 19.
• Canisius made a season-high nine three-pointers in the contest. They went 9-for-20 collectively (45.0 percent) which also marked a season high.
• Karatasiou had two buzzer-beating shots in the contest, one at the end of the first quarter and one at the end of the third quarter, accounting for her five points.
• Gailes has recorded more rebounds than points in four of the 11 games played this season.
• Johnson leads the team in assists with 42 on the season, and has recorded five-or-more assists in four games.

UP NEXT
Canisius will take a short holiday break before returning to the Koessler Athletic Center on Dec. 29 at 1 p.m. to face Colgate. The contest will mark the final non-conference game of the season for the Griffs and will be streamed live on ESPN+.

Like Canisius Athletics on Facebook
Follow @GoGriffs and @GriffsWBB on X
Follow @GoGriffs and @GriffsWBB on Instagram
Print Friendly Version