Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Canisius University Athletics

#Griffs The Official Home of the Canisius University Golden Griffins | #Griffs
Jaela Johnson jumps to make lay-up at Rider
Dave Schofield '71
63
Winner Canisius Canis 2-12,1-3 MAAC
43
Rider Rider 2-11,0-4 MAAC
Winner
Canisius Canis
2-12,1-3 MAAC
63
Final
43
Rider Rider
2-11,0-4 MAAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Canisius Canis 18 16 17 12 63
Rider Rider 21 9 9 4 43

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Defense Leads the Way as Women’s Basketball Defeats Rider

Canisius held Rider to 22 points over the final three quarters, allowing the Blue and Gold to cruise to a 63-43 victory in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference women's basketball action Thursday at Alumni Gymnasium in Lawrenceville, N.Y. 

The Golden Griffins claimed their first conference win of the season and first league victory of head coach Tiffany Swoffard's career, moving to 1-3 in MAAC action and 2-12 overall. The Broncs fell to 0-4 in league play and 2-11 on the season. 

POST GAME COMMENTS FROM HEAD COACH TIFFANY SWOFFARD



On top of their stellar defense, three Griffs recorded double-figure scoring nights. Junior Franka Wittenberg, recorded a game-high 14 points to lead the pack as she shot 5-for-6 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Wittenberg also posted five rebounds, two assists and a steal in the all-around effort. Graduate student Jaela Johnson followed close behind with 13 points and freshman Yasmine Djibril scored 10 points and nabbed a game-high seven rebounds.

Overall, the Griffs shot 47.9 percent from the field, out-rebounded the Broncs by a 36-18 margin and went a perfect 14-for-14 from the charity stripe.

Mariona Cos-Morales led the Broncs in scoring with 12 points, highlighted by a 6-for-6 performance at the free-throw line. Canisius held Rider to 30.7 percent shooting and caused 19 turnovers.

Despite the defensive effort in the later half of the game, the first quarter was fast-paced and high scoring. Rider jumped out to an early 11-2 lead before four points each from Wittenberg and junior Mariam Sanogo allowed the Griffs to cut the lead to 21-18 by the end of the quarter.

The Griffs defensive intensity increased after the opening frame, holding Rider to single-digit point totals during the final three quarters. A four-point outburst from freshman Irene Rey Pineda cut the Broncs lead to one, 25-24, before back-to-back lay-ups from Johnson and Djibril gave the Griffs the lead with 50 seconds remaining in the half.

Canisius came out firing in the third quarter, going on a 15-2 run from the 5:51 mark of the frame to the end of the stanza to extend its lead to 12 points. Wittenberg scored six points in the quarter and Johnson capped off the period with a half-court buzzer beater to add some insurance.

Canisius sealed the game with their defense in the fourth, holding the Broncs scoreless from more than five minutes to start the fourth quarter before ending on a 9-0 run to determine the 20-point margin of victory.

GAME NOTES
• Thursday's win served as the 35th victory for the Griffs over the Broncs all-time and the first win on the road against Rider since Jan. 26, 2019.
• Canisius' two wins this season have come when they held their opponent to less than 50 points. Both wins also included a quarter when they held their opponent to less than five points in a quarter. The Griffs achieved this earlier in the season at Saint Francis (Pa.), winning 48-46 on Nov. 15.
• Johnson, Wittenberg and Djibril are the first trio to score 10 or more points in the same game for the Griffs this season. 
• Canisius out-rebounded Rider by a 36-18 margin on Thursday, their largest of the season 
• The Griffs scored 34 points in the paint compared to Riders 14.
• The Griffs 14-for-14 performance at the free-throw line was the first time since March 9, 2019 at Monmouth where the team went 100 percent from the line with a minimum of 10 attempts.

UP NEXT
The Griffs continue their New Jersey road trip on Saturday, traveling to Saint Peter's for a conference tilt. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. 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