The Quinnipiac women’s basketball team dropped their third straight game, losing to the Canisius Golden Griffins. The Bobcats came into the contest with a 20-1 record against Canisius, with their only loss being a 69-58 defeat, coming on Jan. 18.
Before tip-off, three Bobcat players were recognized for Senior Day. Reiven Douglas, forward Jillian Casey as well as forward Tiera White. Douglas had five rebounds and an assist in 19 minutes while Casey secured a board and two assists.
“It’s definitely a fun one,” Casey said when asked about the relationship with her fellow seniors. “We talk to each other all the time…I love these girls.”
“It’s definitely a sisterhood,” Douglas added. “You would think that we’re siblings the way we bother and play around with each other.”
The seniors also touched on what it means to be leaders for a team with many younger talent on the roster.
“I’d say to them to keep battling, keep believing and keep growing,” White said.
After a 13-7 first quarter, it appeared that the Bobcats could keep the game close despite finishing the quarter shooting just 14.3% from the field. However, the second quarter is where Canisius began to run away with the game. The Golden Griffins outscored the Bobcats 22-12 to close out the first half.
For the Golden Griffins, junior guard Athina Lexa tossed in 18 points on 4/12 shooting. The 10.9 points per game scorer also added two rebounds and three assists, as well as shooting a perfect eight for eight at the free throw line.
Sophomore forward Sisi Eleko also made a big impact in the game. Eleko grabbed 15 points and 16 rebounds en route to her fourteenth double-double of the season.
The silver lining for Quinnipiac was first year forward Anna Foley. She had a double-double of her own, securing 24 points and 10 rebounds on 10/19 shooting.
“She did everything she could control,” head coach Tricia Fabbri said of Foley’s performance. “I thought she was really fantastic.”
The Bobcats struggled to get anything going on offense until late in the game. Quinnipiac shot 19/59 from the field overall and a disappointing 4/25 from beyond the arc.
“We have got to put the ball in the basket, and the looks that we got were really good,” Fabbri remarked. “We just need more players to put the ball in the basket when we get the opportunity and not get gunshy.”
Quinnipiac women’s basketball is back in action Thursday night when they travel to Fairfield to take on the Stags at 7 p.m.
