BUFFALO, N.Y.- Jessica Kovatch (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) broke her own school record with 32 points but the Flash shot just 26 percent for the game in a 77-52 loss at Canisius on Saturday in the Koessler Athletic Center.
"We didn't shoot the ball well today," coach
Joe Haigh said. "We were riding high after Wednesday's victory, but couldn't sustain it today."
Canisius started hot on Saturday, hitting three of their first four shots to lead 7-2 early. The first of eight threes from Kovatch jump-started got the Flash started as they cut the lead to one at 7-6. The Griffins responded with an 8-0 run to lead 15-6 early, forcing a timeout. The stoppage worked as SFU responded with an 11-2 run to knot the game at 17. Threes by Kovatch,
Aisha Brock (Jacksonville, Fla./Potter's House Christian Academy) and
Katie Reese (Boonton Township, N.J./Mountain Lakes) highlighted the run and forced a Griffins' timeout. Both teams would go cold in the final three minutes of the quarter, with Canisius getting a lone three to close out the opening frame to lead 20-17 after the first quarter.
The cold shooting carried over into the second quarter for the Flash as they were held to a lone Kovatch three over the quarter's opening three minutes. While the Flash went cold, Canisius heated up, hitting on five straight buckets to open up a 31-20 lead. Another Kovatch three broke the run, but the Flash could not sustain the momentum. Instead it was the Griffins who ripped off seven-straight points to go up by as many as 18. A
Halee Adams (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) three again broke the drought, but the Flash were held to just three field goals in the quarter and trailed 42-26 at the half.
The Red Flash defense was stout to start the third quarter, holding the Griffins without a field goal in the opening four minutes of the quarter. However, the offense could not get anything going as SFU didn't get their first points of the quarter until the 5:45 mark. The Griffins began to pull away as Margaret Halfdanardottir heated up with a pair of threes to give Canisius a 20-point lead, Halfdanardottir finished with a team high 19. The cold shooting continued for the Flash who were limited to just five third quarter points. Maria Welch hit three shots from deep to put the game out of reach as the Griffins led 58-31 at the end of three.
In the fourth, the Red Flash closed the game strong. Kovatch hit a three as did Brock as the Flash press began to wear on Canisius. Saint Francis forced 25 turnovers on Saturday, leading to 17 points.
Courtney Zezza (Plum, Pa./Plum) had a strong final quarter, especially defensively. The freshman picked up a pair of blocks and a steal while making a pair from the foul line. Kovatch hit two late threes to give her consecutive 30-plus games, but it was not enough.
The loss drops SFU to 1-3 on the season while Canisius improves to 1-2. The biggest stat of the game was the 55-34 edge the Griffins had on the glass, leading to 10 second-chance points and a 28-10 edge in the paint. The Red Flash will look to regroup on Monday when they travel to Ithaca to take on the Cornell Big Red. Tip time on Monday is set for 6 p.m.
