By: Terry Smith
Canisius College Women's Basketball and University of Buffalo Women's Basketball Team battled on opening night in a close game.
Before the game , many players and coaches wore t-shirts that said “Choose Love” as a way to honor the victims of the Tops supermarket tragedy back in May.
In the 1st Quarter Canisius got off to a slow start with a lot of missed threes. Eventually Guard Dani Haskell scored an underhand left hand layup to break the drought. Although Canisius wasn’t scoring, their defense had carried their way through and helped close out the first quarter.
The second quarter saw U.B. take the lead at the 6:47 mark, when it was 19-17. Canisius would eventually take the lead but As the half would close out, UB player Guard Latrice Perkins would hit a fast break layup cutting the lead 25-27.
At the half, both teams were shooting below 35% which had a lot to do with the slow start that both teams had.
As the third quarter came around, UB would come out strong. The team would go on a 14-3 and lead by as much as 9. During the quarter forward Rhay Porter would go down with an injured knee. Eventually, she would come back and be one of the key catalysts on the defensive end to propel Canisius towards the win. At the end of the quarter, Canisius would be down by 8, the score being 44-36.
When the 4th Quarter came around, Canisius still trailed by 8 but would start to kick off a comeback. It started with guard Vannessa Garrelts, who hit a three pointer in the corner. After that, Guard/Forward Brooklyn Thrash would hit a corner three off of the glass. As the game started to wind down at the 2:30 minute mark, Canisius would eventually take the lead by a fast break layup going up 54-53. As the game got closer towards the final seconds, Zakiyah Winfield of UB would draw a foul and get sent to the line. She would miss both free throws and Canisius would grab the rebound. Canisius would inbound the ball and Dani Haskell would be fouled, hitting two free throws to secure the game.
Dani’s Haskell for Canisius would finish the game with a team high 17 points.
The Blue and Gold begin a two-game road swing Friday with a 5:30 p.m. contest at Toledo. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.