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Mariam Sanogo plays defense at Iona
Joe Lehrman
53
Winner Canisius Canis 8-20,7-11 MAAC
48
Iona Iona 10-19,8-11 MAAC
Winner
Canisius Canis
8-20,7-11 MAAC
53
Final
48
Iona Iona
10-19,8-11 MAAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Canisius Canis 5 14 19 15 53
Iona Iona 18 8 12 10 48

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Women’s Basketball Rallies Back to Defeat Iona

Facing a 13-point first-quarter deficit, Canisius rallied thanks to an 11-point performance from junior Mariam Sanogo and 10 points from both sophomore Shariah Gailes and graduate student Jaela Johnson to defeat Iona, 53-48, Saturday at the Hynes Center in New Rochelle, N.Y.

With the win, the Golden Griffins improved to 8-20 on the season and 7-11 in MAAC play, bringing the team one step closer to a MAAC Women's Basketball Championship tournament berth. The Gaels slid to 10-18 with a 8-10 conference ledger.

Sanogo, who led the team in scoring for the first time in her career, was perfect 4-for-4 from the field with a 3-for-4 performance from the charity stripe. The junior from Paris, France also grabbed three rebounds and recorded a block. Gailes went 4-for-8 from the floor and grabbed six rebounds for the Blue and Gold, while Johnson chipped in two assists to the winning cause. Junior Franka Wittenberg also scored nine points and a season-high nine board in the victory.

For Iona, Erin Leary scored a game-high 12 points, while Judith Gomez contributed 10 points. Leary, who played 39 minutes for the Gaels, also posted a team-high nine rebounds. For the game, Iona shot 27.9 percent from the field, made just 3-of-21 tries from 3-point land and shot 84.6 percent (11-for-13) from the free-throw line.

A bucket by Zoey Ward put the host Gaels up 46-43 with 5:26 left to play, but Canisius battled back and won the game thanks to a 10-2 run over the game's final 5:03, where the Griffs' defense held Iona to just one made field goal in the final 5:00. That decisive run started with a 3-point make by freshman Irene Rey Pineda that evened the game at 46-46, and moments later, Johnson drilled a trey that gave the Griffs a 49-46 lead with 4:08 left to play.

Another lay-up from Ward with 1:22 remaining cut the Griffs' lead to 49-48, but Canisius knocked down five free-throws in the final 49 seconds to seal the victory. The Griffs ended the day by going 12-for-18 from the free-throw stripe.

After the first quarter, Canisius trailed the Gaels 18-5 after shooting just 15.4 percent (2-for-13) from the floor and turning the ball over eight times. Trailing 20-7 just 2:12 into the second quarter, Sanogo fueled a 12-2 run for the Griffs over the span of 5:00 with six points to help trim the Gaels' cushion to three at 22-19 with 2:02 remaining in the opening half. Iona went into the locker room at halftime up 27-19 after the Gaels scored the final five points on the opening frame.

Canisius opened the second half on a 12-3 run, highlighted by a pull-up two-point jumper by Wittenberg, to take the 31-29 lead. Iona ended the third quarter a 9-7 run, tying the game at 38-38 entering the final frame.

GAME NOTES
• The Griffs completed the season sweep of the Gaels after beating them at home on Jan. 16. This marked the 72nd meeting between the two programs with Iona still leading the all-time series 41-31.
• The win marks the fourth time this season Canisius has held their opponents to under 50 points in victory.
• Wittenberg's nine rebounds marks a season-high and the second most in a single game of her career. Her career high is 11 rebounds, which she achieved as a freshman at Fresno State on Nov. 15 2022 against UC Riverside.
• Canisius has out-rebounded their opponent in all eight of its wins this season.
• Djibril played 29 minutes for the Griffs while fasting for Ramadan.
• With 11 points, Sanogo went into double figures for the fifth time in her career.
• Johnson, playing in her 129th collegiate game, scored in double figures for the 41st time in her career.

UP NEXT
Canisius returns to Buffalo for the final two games of the regular season, facing off against Rider on Thursday, in a crucial game to decide the final playoff spot in the conference tournament. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+.

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