Women’s Basketball searches for answers amidst losing streak

By: Maggie Tifft, Assistant Sports Editor

With half of the regular season completed, the women’s basketball team searches for their next win on the road in critical first time matchups against Marist and Siena.

With the lone conference win against Niagara back on Jan. 14, the Lady Griffs have continued to struggle coming up with wins. With opponents coming out hot in the third quarter, the Griffs need to find an answer to avoid scoring droughts. Luckily for them, junior Shariah Gailes has remained a constant go-to player these past couple of games. With Gailes tallying 56 rebounds in 2026, she has moved into third place in rebounds for the MAAC, sixth in scoring, and fourth in field goal percentage.

Gailes’ repeated statistics kept the Griffs in tough games and it has led to other players stepping up and having breakout games. Sophomore forward Yasmine Djibril notched a team-high three steals against Fairfield along with a season high 14 points against Sacred Heart last weekend. Senior guard Franka Wittenberg also recorded a team-high four blocks against Fairfield and has moved herself into second in points on the team with Djibril right behind her. These two, along with a strong performance from Gailes, are critical for the Griffs if they want to see a winning side of the weekend.

The Griffs started the weekend off with a nail biter in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. against Marist. Ultimately the team fell to the Red Foxes 60–53, but unlike previous games, they came out strong in the third quarter. Djibril led the way with a 16-point performance, with Gailes adding another nine rebounds to her junior campaign. The team will now travel to Loudonville, N.Y. for their game at Siena on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 2 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Lucas Dembski