Riverdale, NY (January 10, 2005)- Canisius outscored Manhattan 42-23 in the second half, erasing the Lady Jaspers' five-point lead at intermission, lifting the Golden Griffins to a 72-58 victory tonight at Draddy Gymnasium. Senior
Serra Sangar led all scorers with 17, while freshman
Joann Nwafili chipped in with 13 points and nine rebounds. Jessica Steeves scored 12 of her 16 points in the second half to pace Canisius.
Manhattan (6-7, 2-2 MAAC) held its largest lead of the game at 37-30 with 18:59 left on two free throws by Nwafili before Canisius (7-6, 3-1 MAAC) went on a 14-2 run, holding the Lady Jaspers to only one field goal over eight minutes during that stretch. Manhattan would get as close as five points at the 4:39 mark when Sangar's two free throws made the score 58-53, but Canisius sank six straight free throws in the final minutes to secure the victory.
After shooting 36.4% in the first half, the Golden Griffins came on strong in the second half, shooting 48.1%, while Manhattan shot 23.3.% from the field in the second half.
Both teams shot well from the foul line, as Manhattan hit on 20 of 22, for a season-high 90.9%, while Canisius shot 72.7% (16-22). The two squads also crashed the boards hard, as Manhattan slightly outrebounded Canisius, 41-40, and totaled 17 offensive boards to the Golden Griffs' 15 offensive caroms.
The Lady Jaspers return to action on Friday, January 14, when they will start a four-game road trip, beginning with a matchup against Rider in Lawrenceville, NJ. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m.
