It’s no secret that Canisius loves the three-pointer.

The Golden Griffins hold the NCAA women’s basketball record for consecutive games with at least one trey at 461. For that reason alone, the University at Buffalo should have been on guard to stop the three-ball.

Yet, when it was all said and done Saturday, the Bulls were still defenseless against the long ball, and that is why they let a golden opportunity at earning a major slump-busting triumph slip through their fingers.

Junior Micayla Drysdale’s three-pointer with 48.3 seconds left gave Canisius the lead for good as the Griffs survived a gigantic scare from UB, 59-56, before 711 at Alumni Arena.

Canisius (5-2) earned its fifth straight win and seventh in a row over UB (1-6), which hasn’t won since opening the season with an overtime win over Niagara.

Senior Brittane Russell scored 14 of her game-high 19 points in the second half after playing a cautious first half due to two quick fouls. Ellie Radke added 14 for the Griffs.

Drysdale’s shot was the last of 29 treys attempted by the Griffs, who canned 13 of them — including 7 of 12 in the second half.

Canisius’ success from beyond the arc gave them a chance at recovering from an early 10-point deficit and surviving a huge game by UB junior Kourtney Brown. Brown finished with 17 points and 15 rebounds, including 10 at the offensive end.

Last year, Amanda Cavo would have been called upon by coach Terry Zeh to take that three-pointer at the end and with good reason. The senior graduated as Canisius’ leader in all-time three-pointers (267).

Drysdale is no slouch from beyond the arc, though, as she entered Saturday as the team’s leader in three-point field goal percentage (.410), and proved she can knock down the big shot when it matters most.

“I’m taking on a different role and it’s great that I had the opportunity and worked up the confidence and took the shot,” said Drysdale, who sank the Griffs’ only two free-throw attempts with 27.5 seconds left for the final margin.

“It’s huge,” Zeh added.

Just how cruel was the three-pointer to UB?

UB freshman Nicki Hopkins (15 points, 5 of 10 from three-point range) had an open shot with two seconds left but the shot clanked off the front of the rim, preventing the Bulls from earning a win over a team expected to contend for its second straight postseason berth.

“Nicki had a great look . . . [but] that’s not the difference,” UB coach Linda Hill-MacDonald said. “The outcome of the game is at the defensive end throughout the game, allowing them to get 29 open looks.

“We see moments of brilliance from this team. . . . It’s going to come together.”