Junior Sofia Vitucci scored a game-high 26 points to help lead Canisius to a 73-61 win over UMass-Lowell in the America East-Metro Conference Challenge at the Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo, N.Y., Sunday afternoon.
With the win, Canisius improved to 2-0 on the year, the Golden Griffins' first 2-0 start to a season since the 2005-06 campaign. UMass-Lowell fell to 2-1 on the season with the loss.
Vitucci's 26 points came after she went 9-for-15 from the field with a 3-pointer. She also made 7-of-9 tosses from the free-throw line to go with three assists, two rebounds and a pair of steals. Freshman Aubree Hupp scored 12 points to go with a team-high seven boards and four steals, while senior Shariah Gailes chipped in nine points, highlighted by a 5-for-5 effort at the free-throw line. Junior Yasmine Djibril scored eight points for the Griffs, who shot 47.2 percent from the floor and 78.6 percent (22-for-28) from the free-throw line for the game.
Kayla Solomon scored a team-high 18 points in the loss for UMass-Lowell, which turned the ball over 30 times on the day. Maddie Rice added nine points to the River Hawks' efforts, but UMass-Lowell was not able to overcome their turnover issues, as Canisius turned its 30 turnovers into 32 points. As a team, UMass-Lowell shot 46.7 percent from the field 71.4 percent from the charity stripe.
Canisius trailed throughout a better portion of the first half, but went into the locker room up 33-27 thanks to a 9-0 run over the final 2:26 of the second quarter. That scoring surge was started by senor Mary Copple, and capped by a jumper by Hupp with 11 seconds left before the intermission.
Just 1:15 into the third quarter, Rice made three free-throws to trim the Griffs' lead to 35-32, but Vitucci answered with two buckets in a 17-second span to push the Canisius lead back to seven points at 39-32. Later in the third, Canisius went on a 7-2 run over the span of just 56 seconds, with Vitucci accounting for five of the Griffs' seven points. With 1:43 left in the third, Canisius took its largest lead of the day at 51-37 after Vitucci knocked down the team's lone triple of the day from the top of the key.
UMass-Lowell never drew closer than eight points in the fourth quarter, thanks in large part to Canisius' smothering defense and ability to cause turnovers. The Blue and Gold forced 14 turnovers in the second-half alone, and the Griffs closed out the fourth by hitting all 12 free-throw chances in the frame to seal the victory.
GAME NOTES
• Sunday was the first meeting between Canisius and UMass-Lowell.
• Canisius opened the season with back-to-back wins for just the fourth time in 35 seasons.
• The Griffs have shot better than 75 percent from the free-throw line in each of the first two games this year.
• The 30 forced turnovers are the most for Canisius in a game in more than 10 seasons.
• Vitucci's 26-point effort stands as the most points in a game for a Griff since Gailes had 28 in a home win over Mercyhurst last year.
• Canisius went deep into its bench, with 14 of its 15 rostered players hitting the hardwood in Sunday's contest, 11 of which recorded at least two points.
UP NEXT
Canisius starts a five-game road stretch on Nov. 13 when the team plays at Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y. Game time is set for 5 p.m., and the contest will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
MORE THAN A GAME
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