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Mary Copple drives to the basket versus Niagara
Joe Lehrman
46
Niagara Niag 1-20,0-13 MAAC
48
Winner Canisius Canis 7-16,6-7 MAAC
Niagara Niag
1-20,0-13 MAAC
46
Final
48
Canisius Canis
7-16,6-7 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Niagara Niag 12 10 13 11 46
Canisius Canis 14 10 14 10 48

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Women’s Basketball Completes Season Sweep of Niagara

Canisius erased a four-point deficit in final minutes of regulation with timely shooting from sophomore Mary Copple and graduate student Jaela Johnson to defeat Niagara, 48-46, Tuesday in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action at the Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo, N.Y.

The win, the Golden Griffins' second in-a-row and sixth in their last 10 games, improved their MAAC record to 6-7 and 7-16 overall. The Purple Eagles fell to 1-20 overall and 0-13 in league action, extending their losing streak to 15 games. 

POST GAME COMMENTS FROM HEAD COACH TIFFANY SWOFFARD
 
Copple and Johnson were the only players to record double-figure scoring nights with much of the game being a highly physical defensive battle. Johnson tied her season-high in minutes with 35 as she shot 6-for-11 from the floor, 2-for-5 from three-point land and 3-for-3 from the line to finish with a game-high 17 points while adding five rebounds and a game-high four assists. Copple contributed clutch shooting off the bench, scoring 12 points on 4-for-8 shooting from distance and a team-high three steals. Freshman Yasmine Djibril was dominant on the glass for the Blue and Gold, grabbing a career-high 11 rebounds off the bench.

Niagara's Talia Dial recorded a team-high 14 points for the Purple Eagles, with five of those points coming from the free-throw line. Jade Rutledge posted 11 points and 2 blocks, while Jordyn Williams scored six points to go with six boards. For the game, Niagara shot 40.4 percent from the field, made just 1-of-10 from 3-point land and turned the ball over 27 times, which the Griffs converted into 21 points.

Trailing 42-38 with less than five minutes to play in the fourth quarter, Copple nailed a 3-pointer with an assist from Johnson while Johnson made a driving lay-up with a foul to retake the lead, 44-42, with 3:45 remaining on the clock. The Griffs were able to seal the win with foul shots from junior Franka Wittenberg to secure the two-point victory. 

Earilier in the contest, the Purple Eagles jumped out to a quick 10-4 lead before the first quarter media timeout, only to see Canisius bounce back with a 10-2 run to close out the quarter. Johnson and Copple both hit threes, with Johnson adding a lay-up to put the Griffs up 14-12 entering the second period. 

Niagara responded in the second quarter, taking an 18-17 lead with 6:17 left in the frame before a 7-0 run from the Griffs allowed them to carry a 24-22 lead into halftime.

The defensive intensity between the two longtime rivals picked up in the second half as the teams exchanged leads seven times throughout the contest. The Griffs extended their lead out to eight points with a minute remaining in the third quarter, before a scuffle on the court caused ejections on both teams. After the technical fouls were distributed between the teams, Niagara held the Griffs scoreless for more than five minutes, going on a 10-0 run and taking a 42-38 lead early in the fourth, setting the stage for the Griffs' late-game surge. 

GAME NOTES
• Tuesday's game marked the 106th meeting between Canisius and Niagara, with the Griffs now holding a 62-44 record over their local rivals. 
• The win marks the first time since the 2017-18 season that Canisius defeated Niagara in both conference games. Before this season, Canisius had lost six in-a-row to the Purple Eagles.
• Johnson recorded her sixth game this season where she scored 15-or-more points and her 36th game of her career scoring in double-figure.
• Johnson is shooting 93.6 percent from the free-throw line in MAAC play, the second best mark in the conference.
• Djibril's 11 rebound effort was the first double-figure rebounding effort from a player other than sophomore Shariah Gailes this season for the Griffs.
• This is the second game the Griffs have won this year with a score of 48-46. Their first win at Saint Francis (Pa.) had the same score on Nov. 15, 2024. It is their third win of the season where the team has held their opponent under 50 points.
• Head coach Tiffany Swoffard is the first Canisius head coach to defeat Niagara in their first two attempts since Terry Zeh in the 2004-05 season.
• Canisius had a season-high 19 offensive boards in the contest and out-rebounded Niagara by a 44-29 margin.

UP NEXT
Canisius travels to Emmitsburg, Md. to face Mount St. Mary's in a conference contest on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+.

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