Canisius senior forward Shariah Gailes scored 10 of her game-high 16 points in the second half and the Golden Griffins' defense held host New Hampshire to three field goals in the game's final quarter to earn a 52-48 comeback victory in the America East-Metro Conference Challenge at Lundholm Arena in Durham, N.H., Thursday night.
Canisius' win in the season-opener is the program's first since the 2022-23 season, while the Wildcats fell to 1-1 on the year with the loss.
Gailes scored her 16 points after she went 4-for-9 from the floor, 2-for-2 from 3-point land and 6-for-8 from the free-throw line, with two of those makes coming in the game's final four seconds to seal the win for the Blue and Gold. She also added six rebounds and a pair of assists to her final stat line. Juniors Maria Sánchez Pitarch and Sofia Vitucci added eight and seven points, respectively, while freshman Aubree Hupp scored five points to go with a game-high 11 rebounds in her first collegiate game.
New Hampshire's Maggie Cavanaugh scored 15 points while Maya Braxton-Young added 10 points, six rebounds and five assists. As a team, the Wildcats shot 34.6 percent from the field, while making just 2-of-15 shots from 3-point land and 10-of-17 tries at the charity stripe.
Canisius scored a pair of buckets in the final 20 seconds of the first half to send the teams into the locker room at halftime with New Hampshire in the lead at 27-24. In the third quarter, Cavanaugh and Braxton-Young combined to score 12 of the Wildcats' 15 points to push New Hampshire's cushion to 42-35 after three quarters of play.
A pair of free-throws by freshman Celena Grant with 7:31 left on the game clock started a 5-0 run for the Griffs, capped by a traditional three-point play from Gailes, that put Canisius down two at 44-42 with 5:37 remaining. The Griffs knotted the game at 46-46 with 4:48 left in the contest after Sánchez Pitarch stole the ball and fed Hupp on the break. On the ensuing New Hampshire possession, Hupp grabbed a defensive board, which set up Vitucci, who knocked down a pull-up jumper in the paint with 4:11 left on the clock to give the Griffs the lead for good at 48-46.
Another bucket by Vitucci with 1:33 left pushed the Griffs' cushion to four at 50-46, but New Hampshire answered on its next time down the floor to trim the Canisius lead to 50-48 with 1:10 remaining. New Hampshire had the ball just two times in the final 45 seconds, and was forced to foul Gailes with four seconds remaining to stop the clock. The senior drilled both free-throws to seal the victory for the road team.
GAME NOTES
• Thursday was the fourth all-time meeting between the two schools, and each program has won two games in the series, which started in the 1993-94 season.
• Thursday not only marked Canisius' first season-opening victory since 2022-23, it also stands as the program's first season-opening road win since the first night of the 2005-06 campaign.
• As a team, the Griffs shot 14-for-18 from the free-throw line in the win, including a 7-for-8 effort in the game's fourth quarter.
• Eleven different Griffs scored at least two points in the win.
• Canisius out-rebounded New Hampshire, 39-32. The Griffs have grabbed 30-or more rebounds as a team in 16 of their last 17 contests, dating back to last year.
• Gailes' 16-point performance marked the 29th time in her Canisius career where she scored 10-or more points.
• Gailes' next rebound will be the 450th in her Canisius career.
• Junior Corniya Clay was credited with a career-high three steals in the winning effort.
UP NEXT
Canisius will open the home portion of its 2026-27 schedule on Sunday when the team plays host to UMass-Lowell in the team's final game of the America East-Metro Conference Challenge. Tip-off it set for noon, and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
Sunday's game will be presented by Pepsi, and all fans in attendance will be included in a raffle to win a new Pepsi cooler. For tickets to Sunday's game, and all remaining home contests, CLICK HERE.
MORE THAN A GAME
Support the Canisius women's basketball program in conjunction with the "More Than A Game" campaign. Your donation to the women's basketball program helps our student-athletes continue to be champions in the community, in the classroom and in competition. To donate, CLICK HERE.
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