Quinnipiac Basketball Hosts Canisius on Senior Day in Hamden
The Quinnipiac Bobcats will hold Senior Day Saturday when they host the Canisius Golden Griffins, a late-season MAAC matchup that carries implications for seeding and momentum heading into the conference tournament. Quinnipiac Basketball enters the game with a 23-5 overall record and an 18-1 mark in MAAC play, while Canisius arrives at 5-23 and 3-16 in the conference.
M&T Bank Arena: Game Time, Location and Stakes
The game is scheduled for 2 p. m. Eastern on Saturday, Feb. 28, at M&T Bank Arena in Hamden, Connecticut. The Bobcats have been strong at home this season, posting a 9-4 record in home games, a factor that will be on display for seniors recognized that afternoon. This will be the second meeting between the teams in conference play; Quinnipiac won the first meeting 73-55 on Feb. 5.
In that earlier matchup Anna Foley paced Quinnipiac with 16 points, while Yasmine Djibril led Canisius with 20. The repeat meeting gives both teams a clear statistical template to work from and a tangible measure of what adjustments matter most in a rematch.
O'Donnell and Jackie Grisdale: Scoring and Recent Form
Elia O’Donnell and Jackie Grisdale are central to Quinnipiac’s offense. Grisdale is averaging 12. 5 points per game with 3. 4 rebounds and 1. 1 assists, while O’Donnell has averaged 10. 7 points and 4. 8 rebounds over the past 10 games and has shot 56. 4% in that span. The Bobcats have been efficient recently, going 9-1 over their last 10 games and averaging 67. 8 points, 31. 7 rebounds and 15. 0 assists per contest, while holding opponents to 50. 2 points over that stretch.
For Canisius, Shariah Gailes and Yasmine Djibril remain the primary scoring threats. Gailes is shooting 48. 6% and averaging 12. 4 points, and Djibril has averaged 12. 1 points across her last 10 games. The Golden Griffins have managed 56. 5 points per game in their last 10 outings and have collected 34. 2 rebounds per game in that span.
Quinnipiac Basketball Defense and Rebounding Edge
Quinnipiac’s defensive rebounding is a defining strength: the Bobcats lead the MAAC with 23. 9 defensive rebounds per game, a category paced by Anna Foley’s average of 4. 2 defensive boards. That rebounding work has coincided with limiting opponents’ shooting; teams facing Quinnipiac have averaged 36. 5% from the field this season. By contrast, Canisius has posted a 39. 7% field-goal rate overall.
Because Quinnipiac averages 7. 8 made 3-pointers per game and opponents have converted at 36. 5%, the Bobcats' ability to control the glass frequently turns defense into second-chance offense and limits the Golden Griffins’ opportunities. What makes this notable is that Quinnipiac’s rebound margin has translated directly into lower opponent scoring—opponents have averaged just 50. 2 points in the Bobcats’ most recent 10 games—underscoring how a specific statistical advantage is shaping outcomes.
Matchup Dynamics: Team Profiles and Expectations
Statistically, the teams present contrasting profiles. Quinnipiac converts more from distance and has compiled a 9-1 record over its last 10 games. Canisius, 2-8 in its last 10, ranks eighth in the MAAC for rebounds per game at 31. 1, led by Gailes’s 8. 4 rebounds. The Golden Griffins surrender an average of 5. 1 made 3-pointers per game to opponents, a gap Quinnipiac seeks to exploit given its 7. 8 made threes per game.
The earlier Feb. 5 outcome—Quinnipiac’s 73-55 win—offers a recent benchmark: Foley’s 16-point outing and Djibril’s 20 points for Canisius suggest the duel will hinge on whether Canisius can improve defensive stops and whether Quinnipiac can sustain its rebounding and outside shooting under Senior Day pressure.
With the regular season winding down and the MAAC tournament on the horizon, Saturday’s contest at M&T Bank Arena provides Quinnipiac a chance to reward departing players while reinforcing the defensive and rebounding foundations that have produced a 23-5 overall record and an 18-1 conference ledger.
