Jan. 31, 2010

Final Stats

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Brittane Russell took the game over in the final minutes and Siena's offense sputtered; giving Canisius a 51-41 victory over Siena Sunday afternoon in Buffalo, N.Y. Russell hit her only 3-pointer of the game with 2:25 left in regulation to put her team in front for good. She scored eight of her 13 points from that point on.

After Russell's 3-pointer, Siena went five straight possessions without scoring (three turnovers and two missed shots). The Saints struggled offensively all day, committing 23 turnovers and shooting 36% from the field and 23.5% from 3-point land. But their stingy defense kept them in the game.

Canisius (9-11, 4-5) shot 30% from the field and 25% from 3.

It was the second nail biter Siena lost this weekend (65-63 to Niagara in overtime).

The Golden Griffins managed a 19-17 halftime lead even with Russell on the bench for 12 minutes because of foul trouble. Ellie Radke, the team's second leading scorer (10.5 ppg) and leading rebounder (5.6 rpg) did not play.

The Saints (7-12, 5-5) got it going early in the second half as they went to Serena Moore and Sarah Fullmer. They combined for 11 of the team's first 13 points in the second half. The only other basket was made by Merrick Volpe and assisted by Moore. Moore caught it inside and dished it back out to Volpe who hit the jumper.

Moore led all players with 14 points and eight rebounds, adding to her strong weekend in Buffalo. She averaged 20.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and shot 56.3% from the field in Siena's two games.

Canisius used an 11-2 run to take its first lead of the second half with 3:58 remaining. Fullmer put Siena back on top with two free throws at the 2:37 mark, but Russell made her 3-pointer the next time down the court. Her steal and layup on the break made it a two-possession game (44-40) with 44 seconds left. Following a timeout, Volpe missed a 3-pointer and Russell was fouled with 30 seconds left. She made both free throws.

Canisius made 7-of-10 free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.

Allie Lindemann was held scoreless for the first time in her career (47 games). Volpe finished with 10 points and Fullmer added nine.

Siena lost both games of the western New York trip for the first time since 2005-06.

The Saints return to action on Friday when they play Manhattan in Riverdale, N.Y. Tip is scheduled for 6 p.m.