MAAC Basketball Championship Spotlights: Canisius Golden Griffins
MAAC Sports
EDISON, N.J. – With the 2015 MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships quickly approaching, the league will begin to spotlight each of its 11 member institutions’ men’s and women’s programs leading up to championship week. The first school scheduled to be featured is Canisius College.
Canisius Men’s Basketball
Preseason Poll Pick vs. Current Standing (as of Feb. 13):
Canisius was picked to finish 10th according to the 2014-15 Coaches Preseason Poll, which was announced prior to the start of the season. Currently, the Golden Griffins are tied for fifth in the conference standings with a 7-7 mark, while standing at 12-11 overall. Canisius opened the conference slate as one of three teams to post a perfect 2-0 mark after topping Saint Peter’s and Niagara in December. Canisius is currently one of the top defensive teams in the MAAC, as it leads the league in fewest turnovers, three-point field goal defense, turnovers per game, and allows just 61.7 points per game.
Player to Watch: Zach Lewis
Through 23 games, sophomore Zach Lewis leads Canisius in scoring averaging 14.2 points per game, which also ranks ninth in the MAAC. Lewis exploded for a career-high 31 points against Monmouth on January 2, nearly breaking the school three-point record after knocking down eight treys. The guard has led the Griffs in scoring on 12 occasions, has finished in double figures 17 times, and has notched four 20-plus point efforts on the year.
Top Play of 2014-15 (as of Feb. 13): Watch Here
Breakthrough Performance(s) (as of Feb. 13):
For the week of Jan. 19, sophomore Phil Valenti was named the MAAC Player of the Week after leading Canisius to a 2-0 week with home wins over Siena and Iona. Valenti averaged 20.5 points per game during the week. In the Golden Griffins’ 83-49 victory over Siena, the forward led all Canisius scorers with 22 points, highlighted by his 10-for-10 efforts from the free-throw line. In Canisius’ 78-74 victory over Iona, Valenti scored 19 points with 11 of those points coming in the second half. Valenti also averaged 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals in the team’s two wins.
Canisius Women’s Basketball
Preseason Poll Pick vs. Current Standing (as of Feb. 13):
The Golden Griffins were picked to finish eighth according to the 2014-15 Coaches Preseason Poll, which was announced before the start of the season. Currently, the Griffs are seventh in the conference standings with a 6-8 mark, while standing at 8-15 overall. Canisius opened conference play at 3-0, but have since lost eight of its last 11. As a team, the Griffs are a threat from beyond the arc as the team’s 37.3 three point field goal percentage ranks second in MAAC play and 13th in the NCAA.
Player to Watch: Kayla Hoohuli
Senior guard Kayla Hoohuli leads Canisius on the year, averaging 12.1 points per game, good for 13th in the league. On Jan. 21, Hoohuli recorded a career-high 26 points to lead the Griffs to a thrilling overtime victory against rival, Niagara. The Canisius captain also notched her 1000th career point in the win, while going a career-best 13-for-13 from the charity stripe.
Top Play of 2014-15 (as of Feb. 13): Watch Here
Breakthrough Performance(s) (as of Feb. 13):
On Nov. 30, the Canisius women's basketball team overcame an 18-point second-half deficit to mark the biggest comeback in program history and defeat Saint Francis University, 87-74, on the road. The Golden Griffins outscored the Red Flash, 42-11, to close out the game and pick up their first win of the season. Canisius topped the 80-point mark for the first time since Jan. 9, 2012, against Iona and the 87 points were the most scored by the Griffs since they scored 89 at Missouri State on Dec. 21, 2007.
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The next spotlight, set to be released on Monday, Feb. 16, will feature the Fairfield Stags men’s and women’s programs.
The 2015 season culminates at the 2015 MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York, March 5-9. Tickets for the championships are available online at ticketmaster.com.
For the full men’s basketball schedule, visits maacsports.com and remember to follow the conversation on twitter using #MAACHoops and #MAACHoops15.