Niagara Women's Basketball Team Stranded for 26 Hours Due to Heavy Snowfall

A veritable haboob of lake-effect snow hit Western New York Monday, shutting down vast stretches of highway and bringing traffic to a standstill. 

The snow forced the Buffalo Bills to cancel practice—a light consequence compared to the ordeal the Niagara University women’s basketball team endured over the last day and a half.

The Associated Press (h/t ESPN) reports that 25 players and coaches were stranded on their bus for 26 hours when snow rendered the New York State Thruway impassable. 

The team was on its way back from a losing effort at Pittsburgh when the road conditions worsened and traffic halted.

With nowhere to go and no rescue in sight, Niagara settled in for a long, cold wait. Players kept themselves busy by tweeting, clowning around and praying for help.

Head coach Kendra Faustin, whose one-year-old son was onboard, made the best of the situation. 

Faustin gave the AP a phone interview while still stuck on the bus. She spoke about the lean supply of food and water they had on hand. 

“We have snacks, some granola bars and pretzels,” Faustin said. “We found six bottles of water and have been rationing it. We thought we’d be here for a couple hours and a couple of hours turned into 12 hours. It’s now 24 hours.” 

The coach said the team began melting snow into water at one point. After the team's loss earlier in the night, the snowstorm was like frigid-cold icing on a really awful cake.

“It started to get bad fast at about 2 a.m.,” Faustin said. “We came to a dead stop and haven’t moved since…It was a rough weekend on the court and it just won’t end.”

Faustin maintains that Twitter and social media helped pass the time and kept them optimistic. 

“This whole Twitter and media thing has kept their spirits high,” Faustin said. “It’s something fun for them to do.”

Fortunately, first responders and local volunteers arrived with supplies for the team.

After over a day stranded in the bus, a snowplow arrived on the scene early Wednesday morning, and state troopers were able to rescue the team.

They arrived in good spirits and found some “welcome home” presents waiting at their doors.

I would’ve preferred a ribeye and an hour-long hot shower, but you can’t exactly slide that into an envelope.

In any case, the Niagara basketball team survived two nights in a snowfall that’s already claimed the lives of at least six in Western New York. Any wins that come after Wednesday are just a bonus now.

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