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Shariah Gailes hold the ball at the top of the key versus Merrimack in the Koessler Athletic Center
Oliveri Photos
62
Merrimack Merri 9-13,5-8 MAAC
68
Winner Canisius Canis 6-16,5-7 MAAC
Merrimack Merri
9-13,5-8 MAAC
62
Final
68
Canisius Canis
6-16,5-7 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Merrimack Merri 19 8 21 14 62
Canisius Canis 10 21 16 21 68

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Gailes’ Career High Pushes Women’s Basketball Over Merrimack

Sophomore Shariah Gailes recorded a career-high 20 points while grabbing eight rebounds, allowing Canisius to surmount a 12-point first-quarter deficit and defeat Merrimack 68-62 Saturday in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action at the Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo, N.Y. 

With the win, the Golden Griffins moved to 5-7 in league play and 6-16 overall, surpassing Merrimack in the standings to earn a three-way tie for seventh place. Merrimack fell to 5-8 in conference games and 9-13 on the season.

Gailes' 20-point performance was her highest scoring effort in her Division I career and most since Feb. 22, 2024, when she scored 37 points against UIndy while playing at Division II University of Illinois Springfield. The Brooklyn, Ohio native shot 8-for-11 from the field, 4-for-5 from the charity stripe, while tallying a game-high eight rebounds. Graduate student Jalea Johnson accompanied Gailes with 17 points on 4-for-15 shooting, 3-for-11 from three-point land and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. Canisius shot 45.5 percent from the floor in the win, with six of the team's 20-made field goals coming from behind the 3-point arc. Canisius also made 22-of-26 chances from the charity stripe, its second game this season shooting more than 20 attempts from the line.

For Merrimack, Thalia Shepard scored a team-high 15 points to lead three Warriors in double figures. Rose Caso scored 14 points for Merrimack, while Madison Roman added 12 points and five rebounds. The Warriors shot 43.9 percent from the field, 22.2 percent (4-for-18) from 3-point land and 66.7 percent from the free-throw line.

The Warriors began the game with a surgical 15-3 run that lasted until the 1:52 mark of the first quarter. Shooting from sophomore Mary Copple and junior Mariam Sanogo halted the Merrimack momentum and allowed the Griffs to cut the lead to nine points by the end of the first period.

The second quarter was all Canisius, as the Blue and Gold outscored Merrimack 21-8, with seven different Griffs recording a point while the team shot 53.8 percent from the field in the frame. With the Griffs up 31-27, the momentum swung back into the favor of Merrimack in the third quarter, which retook the lead at 47-45 with 2:17 remaining in the third after a 20-14 run. 

Down 49-48 entering the final quarter, Gailes and Johnson took over for the Griffs, scoring 15 of the 21 points in the game's final 10 minutes, highlighted by Gailes' nine fourth quarter points. A Gailes made jumper put the Griffs up 62-59, allowing Johnson and freshman Yasmine Djibril to seal the win with free-throws.

POSTGAME COMMENTS FROM HEAD COACH TIFFANY SWOFFARD

 
GAME NOTES
• Saturday marked the second meeting between Canisius and Merrimack. The two programs are 1-1 after splitting their first season series as MAAC opponents.
• The win marks the second home win of the season for the Griffs and first win on a Saturday under first-year head coach Tiffany Swoffard.
• Canisius held Merrimack, the league leading rebounding team, to 27 boards in the contest, its second fewest of the season.
• Gailes' 20-point performance was the third by a Canisius player this season. Junior Franka Wittenberg scored 26 at Saint Peter's and Johnson recorded 20 in the Griffs' home win over Sacred Heart.
• The 12-point comeback was the largest since Jan. 18, 2024, when the Griffs overcame a 17-point deficit to beat Quinnipiac at home.

UP NEXT
Canisius stays at home and welcomes Niagara to the Koessler Athletic Center on Tuesday for a MAAC contest. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. and the contest will be streamed live on ESPN+

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