By: Dylan Nuzzo, Assistant Sports Information Director
ST. BONAVENTURE (2-1, 0-0 ATLANTIC 10) vs. CANISIUS (0-2, 0-0 MAAC)
Wednesday, Nov. 17 – 6:00 p.m.
St. Bonaventure, N.Y. – Reilly Center
TV: ESPN+
The St. Bonaventure University women's basketball team returns home and renews its rivalry against Canisius Wednesday, Nov. 17 at the Reilly Center. Tip is slated for 6:00 p.m.
OPENING TIP
·       The Bonnies opened the season with a 2-1 record after playing three games last week, recording wins over Robert Morris (61-53) and Siena (50-42) before falling to Cleveland State, 58-49, last Saturday.
·       Asianae Johnson paced the Bonnies with 14 points to go along with five rebounds in Saturday's contest at Cleveland State. Maddie Dziezgowski matched her career-high with nine points to go along with a career-best seven rebounds.
·       The Bonnies started 2-0 for the first time since the 2012-13 season and have held all three of their first opponents to under 60 points for the first time since the '12-13 campaign.
RIVALRY RENEWED
·       St. Bonaventure and Canisius are set to renew a long-running rivalry between the two Little Three schools. Wednesday's matchup will be the 56th meeting all-time between the Bonnies and the Golden Griffins.
·       Bona's has just four all-time series longer than the rivalry with Canisius. The Bonnies longest all-time series is with UMass at 64 matchups. Duquesne (63 meetings), Niagara (63) and Saint Joseph's (56) also have longer all-time series.
·       The Bonnies currently hold the edge in the all-time series, 29-26, but Canisius has won three out of the last four meetings. Bona's last win over the Griffs came on Nov. 13, 2018 when the teams battled to a 100-94 decision in three overtimes at the RC.
·       Last season marked the first year since the 1972-73 season that St. Bonaventure and Canisius did not play each other.
SCOUTING THE GRIFFS
·       Canisius enters Wednesday's contest with a record of 0-2 to begin the year, falling to Buffalo (102-42) and Binghamton (73-56) during the opening week of play. The Griffs were limited to just five games last season during the COVID-19 pandemic, finishing 0-5. Canisius was picked to finish 11th in the MAAC preseason poll prior to the 2021-22 season.
·       Sahar Nusseibeh was named the 10th head coach all-time at Canisius in July 2021 after spending two seasons as an assistant at Miami (OH). Prior to joining the Redhawks staff, Nesseibeh spent three seasons as the associate head coach at Manhattan where she helped develop five All-MAAC selections. Nusseibeh also spent three seasons at Bowling Green, including two seasons on staff with Bonnies head coach Jesse Fleming (2013-15).
·       The Golden Griffs are led offensively by Franklinville, N.Y. native Dani Haskell who is averaging 19.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists through the first two contests. Also scoring in double figures for Canisius is Erika Joseph, contributing in 11.5 points per game.
JOHNSON LANDS ON A-10 WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
·       Senior guard Asianae Johnson earned a spot on the Atlantic 10 Weekly Honor Roll Monday afternoon after averaging 14.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in three games last week.
·       Johnson shot 40 percent from the floor on the week and also has a team-high five steals so far this season.
·       The Brooklyn native enters the week needing just two points for 1,000 for her career. Her 998 points currently ranks 23rd on the Bonnies all-time scoring list. Johnson also ranks 13th all-time with 251 made free throws and 16th all-time with 55 double-digit scoring performances.
CLEANING THE GLASS
·       Through three games, the Bonnies are +4.3 in rebounding margin and average 42.3 rebounds per contest. The Bonnies' 127 total rebounds rank second in the Atlantic 10 behind Rhode Island which has 150.
·       Six different players are averaging 4.0 rebounds per game or higher, led by junior I'yanna Lops who is pulling down a team-best 7.3 per contest. Tianna Johnson is the lone Bonnies player to grab double-digit rebounds in a game this year as she hauled in a career-high 10 against Siena.
LOCKDOWN DEFENSE
·       The defense has shined through the Bonnies opening week ranking among the top of the Atlantic 10 in several defensive categories. The Brown and White currently sit second in the A-10 in scoring defense (51 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (29.4%). They also rank third in the conference with 11 blocks.
·       The Bonnies are also defending the 3-pointer well, holding opponents to just 18.6 percent (13-for-70) shooting from beyond the arc. Bona's has held its last two opponents to just 5-for-45 (11.1%) from three-point range.
UP NEXT
·       The Bonnies travel for their first of two straight on the road, heading east on I-86 to take on Binghamton Saturday, Nov. 20. Tip is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
-----
For the latest news on St. Bonaventure athletics, stay connected on social media. Follow the Bonnies on Twitter @GoBonnies and get women's basketball updates @BonniesWBB. Keep up with the Bonnies on Facebook /GoBonnies and on Instagram @GoBonnies.