MOUNT ST. MARY'S (10-17, 6-12 MAAC) vs. CANISIUS (9-18, 6-12 MAAC)
Thursday, March 2^nd | 7 p.m.
Buffalo, N.Y. | Kessler Athletic Center
 
GAME NOTES | WATCH | LIVE STATS
 
EMMITSBURG, Md. (March 1, 2023) – Mount St. Mary's women's basketball heads to Buffalo, New York for the final weekend of the regular season. The penultimate game before the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) tournament features the Mount and the Canisius Golden Griffins.
 
Positioning for the MAAC Tournament is a major factor heading into Thursday. A win for Mount St. Mary's guarantees at least an eighth place finish, with a chance to go as high as seventh. Canisius would jump over the Mount for eighth should they win, putting them in the driver's seat.
 
With these two teams currently holding the #8-9 spots, they would face each other again on March 7^th in the opening game of the tournament.
 
MOUNT UPDATE
 
Last Saturday, Mount fell to Manhattan by a 52-45 final. Five Mountaineers found the bottom of the net, led by Aryna Taylor with 19 points. The redshirt senior reached an average of eight points a contest, catapulting to 38^th on the all-time scoring list, and fifth for three-pointers made at 165.
 
Natalie Villaflor finished the Manhattan game with 13 points, marking a team-high 19^th occasion the graduate student compiled double figures for a game. In one season in Emmitsburg, she cracked the top 100 in scoring with 281 points for the season.
 
On the season long leaderboard, graduate student Michaela Harrison and junior Jessica Tomasetti remain on top. Harrison stands at 11.9 points per game and Tomasetti averages 11.1. Isabella Hunt continues to be the leading rebounder and stealer.
 
The Mount is looking to shake off a four-game losing streak dating over two weeks. During the dubious stretch, the team's offense has struggled to find its footing, averaging 49 points per game.
 
RE-EXAMINING THE GOLDEN GRIFFINS
 
Canisius survived a true test of wills in a rescheduled game with Saint Peter's Monday evening. Facing a 59-51 deficit with 1:20 left, the Golden Griffins rallied with a 13-5 run to force overtime at 64-64. Clutch play, in particular from sophomore Cheyenne Stubbs, gave Canisius the 89-80 double OT win.
 
Averaging 61.3 points per game, the team has two double figure scorers – Dani Haskell (11.5) and Vannessa Garrelts (10.1). Sisi Eleko averages 5.6 of the team's 34.6 rebounds per game, along with 8.5 points.
 
The Golden Griffins already improved on a 6-25 record with nine victories entering Thursday. A silver lining from the 2021-22 season was Canisius' first round MAAC Tournament win over Monmouth – becoming the first #11 seed to advance.
 
THE ALL-TIME SERIES
 
Mount St. Mary's and Canisius have met six times, including this past January 14^th. The Mount holds a 4-2 all-time record. Both sides defend their home territory well, with the Mount winning all four events in Emmitsburg and Canisius winning the two contests played in Buffalo. The Golden Griffins last hosted the Mountaineers in 2008, claiming a 77-62 victory.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
 
The regular season concludes Saturday (Mar. 4) against Niagara. There is a possibility of weather impacting the contest – updates and changes will post on mountathletics.com should they occur.