Canisius College (5-2) vs. St. Bonaventure (2-5)

Thursday, Dec. 19, 2002?7:05 p.m. Koessler Athletic Center?Buffalo, N.Y.
Internet/Radio: 105.1 FM Jay Moran (play-by-play) TV: Empire Sports Network (Jim Brinson and Jack Armstrong)

Tonight Canisius renews its rivalry with St. Bonaventure as the Bonnies visit the Koessler Athletic Center for just the second time in a series that began in the 1919-20 season and has seen over 150 meetings. St. Bonaventure earned a 67-53 Jan. 21, 1995, in its only game in the KAC. Canisius enters the game with a 5-2 record and is coming off a 72-46 home victory over Morgan State Tuesday afternoon. The Griffs are in the midst of a stretch where they play four games in eight days, ending with a contest at Notre Dame Sunday (No. 11-USA Today/ESPN, No. 9-AP). St. Bonaventure has not played since a 77-72 loss at Davidson Dec. 10. The Bonnies enter the game with a 2-5 record and have lost five straight games. The game will be televised live on the Empire Sports Network. Player of the Week Brian Dux was named MAAC Player of the Week (Dec. 8-15) after leading the Griffs to a 71-65 home win over Buffalo last Saturday. The senior collected 18 points and a career-high 11 assists in addition to two rebounds, two blocks and two steals.

Quick Hits

The Blue and Gold has not trailed in its last two games... Canisius has held its opponent under 40 percent shooting from the floor in five games, including the last three in a row, and under 30 percent in two contests... The Griffs held Morgan State to 46 points, the least points allowed since a 78-46 win over Buffalo in 1999... Morgan State's shooting percentage of 27.4 percent was the lowest for a Canisius opponent in KAC history; the previous record of 29.4 percent was set against Elmira Dec. 4, 1990... Five Griffs scored in double figures against Morgan State; it was the first time Canisius had five scorers in double figures since an 86-82 loss at Niagara Feb. 23, 2002... Hodari Mallory has scored over 20 points in three of his last six contests... Brian Dux had his first career double-double at Niagara Nov. 30, posting 24 points and 10 assists; he's the first Griff to collect 10 assists since Kevin Worley had 10 vs. Niagara Feb. 6, 1999... Dux tallied 11 assists against Buffalo Dec. 14... Canisius has 119 assists on 196 total field goals this season (60.7 percent)... Canisius had 19 turnovers in the 71-63 loss at Siena Dec. 7; it's the most turnovers for the Griffs since a 73-53 loss to Manhattan Feb. 13, 2002... The Griffs also posted 19 turnovers against Morgan State Dec. 17... The Blue and Gold shot 51.9 percent (14-of-27) from the free-throw line against Buffalo Dec. 14; it's the worst percentage since shooting 45.5 percent (15-of-33) at Morgan State Jan. 9, 2002... The Griffs' opponents own a 71-35 edge in offensive rebounds in the last three games... The attendance of 1,856 against Morgan State Dec. 17 tied for the seventh most in KAC history; the attendance of 1,808 against Buffalo was the 12th-largest... The only game between Canisius and St. Bonaventure in the KAC drew a crowd of 1,967, the fourth-largest in facility history.
Scouting the Bonnies Marques Green leads St. Bonaventure in scoring at 20.7 points a game, and Mike Gansey is averaging 13.3 points and 4.7 rebounds. Patricio Prato is averaging 11.3 points and 4.7 boards a contest. The Bonnies are shooting 39.7 percent from the floor and 35.3 percent from three-point range. They are being outrebounded by an average of eight boards a contest. Maurice Young, a sophomore transfer from Virginia, will make his debut for the Bonnies against Canisius. The 6-foot-5 forward was a two-time ACC Rookie of the Week for the Cavaliers in 2000-01.

Series History

St. Bonaventure leads the all-time series, which began in the 1919-20 season, 92-58. The series is knotted 8-8 over the last 10 years, and Canisius has a 3-2 edge during head coach Mike MacDonald's tenure. The schools did not play last season, marking the first break in the series since the 1945-46 campaign. Since the 1919-20 season, the Griffs and Bonnies have played every year except for four (1943-44, 1944-45, 1945-46, 2001-02). Canisius won the last meeting in the series, 86-82, in Olean behind Andrew Bush's 25 points and eight rebounds.

Injury Update Dewitt Doss had his walking boot removed and has begun rehab and light workouts with the team. His return date is undetermined. Toby Foster is still wearing his boot and will be re-evaluated Dec. 19. Foster, a senior forward and captain, fractured the fifth metatarsal in his left foot and had a screw put in to stabilize the fracture Oct. 26. Doss, a junior guard, has a stress fracture in the fifth metatarsal of his left foot and had a screw put in to stabilize the fracture Nov. 2. Foster started 25-of-26 games last year and finished second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.5 points a game in addition to five rebounds a contest. He is the school's all-time leading three-point shooter with 189 treys and has 828 career points. Doss started 29-of-30 games last season and was fifth on the team in scoring with 8.7 points a game to go along with two assists a contest.

Mid-Season Stretch Following this three-game homestand, Canisius will play five straight games on the road, beginning at Notre Dame Dec. 22. Following Christmas, the Griffs travel to Syracuse (Dec. 30), Florida International (Jan. 2), Iona (Jan. 8) and Marist (Jan. 10).
Record Setting Performance Hodari Mallory tied a school record with seven three-pointers at Bucknell Dec. 3. Craig Wise netted seven against Fairfield Feb. 13, 1995, and Mickey Frazier had seven against Toledo Dec. 20, 1995.

Head Coach Mike MacDonald 73-79; .480 (6th Year); Native of Ridgefield, Conn. Ranks sixth in school career wins, three away from fifth. He spent nine years as an assistant at Canisius under Marty Marbach and John Beilein. Mike's late father-in-law, Tom Heary, played for Canisius from 1957-60, while his brother-in-law, Michael Heary, played at Navy. Brother Tommy played at New Hampshire, brother Timmy played for St. Michael's and brother John played for Dowling.

Not a Bad Outing Hodari Mallory scored a career-high 27 points in 24 minutes against Niagara Nov. 30. The senior netted 22 points in the second half. He shot 9-of-14 from the field, 4-for-4 from three-point land and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line. It's the most points a Griff has scored since Darren Fenn tallied 29 points and 18 rebounds in a home 85-82 victory over Niagara Feb. 15, 2000. It's the most points a Griff has scored on the road since Kevin Thompson netted 27 at Colgate Dec. 28, 1997, in an 88-79 victory. Mallory is shooting 53.1 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from three-point land this season.

Record Setting Defense Canisius set a school record by allowing Niagara to shoot 18.4 percent (7-for-38) from the field in the first half Nov. 30. The previous record was 18.8 percent (6-for-32), set in 1984 against Oswego and matched against the University at Buffalo Nov. 24, 2001. The 89-69 victory was the Griffs' largest margin ever at Niagara and their biggest win against the Purple Eagles since an 84-63 home victory in the 1994-95 season. Opponents are shooting 35.8 percent against Canisius this season.

First Four on the Road The Griffs will play their first four conference games on the road. The last MAAC team to play its first four conference games on the road was Canisius in the 1995-96 season. The Griffs posted a 19-11 overall record, a 7-7 mark in the MAAC, won the MAAC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament that season. The Griffs are 1-1 in the MAAC this season.

Friendly Confines For the first time ever, Canisius will play all its home games on campus. The Griffs own an all-time mark of 129-38 (.772) in the Koessler Athletic Center. The KAC underwent a $1.3 million facelift over the past three years, which includes adding reserved seating and bringing the capacity to 2,176. Season ticket sales have increased 400 percent from last season.
Mr. Helper With a 10 assists against Niagara Nov. 30, Brian Dux moved into third on the all-time Canisius list. He is averaging a league-best 6.4 assists a game this season and owns a + 3.0 assist to turnover ratio, good for first in the MAAC.

The Iron Man Brian Dux is averaging 34.7 minutes a game this season. The senior has started 71 consecutive games, dating back to his freshman season. He has played in every game during his collegiate career, 98 contests. He played 40 minutes against Saint Joseph's and Siena (12/7).

Preseason Poll Canisius was picked to finish sixth in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. Senior guard Brian Dux was named second-team All-MAAC.

Putting Names in the Record Books Seniors Brian Dux and Toby Foster have a chance to put their names among the elite in Canisius basketball history. Dux has 926 career points (26th) and 401 assists (3rd). Only one player in Canisius history has scored over 1,000 career points and dished out over 350 assists. Craig Wise (1991-95) tallied 1,799 points (3rd) and 353 assists (6th) to go along with 784 rebounds (4th). Foster has 828 career points (34th) and 401 rebounds (32nd). Thirteen Canisius players tallied over 1,000 points and over 500 rebounds.

Long Road Trip Canisius spent 10 days in Europe last August and compiled a 4-0 record on the hardwood. Nine players made the trip, and five averaged double figure points. Hodari Mallory led the team with 14.7 points and 8.7 rebounds a game, and Toby Foster posted 14 points and 8.5 rebounds a contest. Brian Dux tallied 12.5 points and 4.3 assists, while Richard Jones and Dewitt Doss each averaged 12 points a game.

Perk Knows Basketball Tom Perkovich is the first Griff since 1949 to play football and basketball all four years at Canisius. An offensive lineman on the football team, the senior played in every game during his career (42 contests) and started the last 31. Perkovich earned first-team All-MAAC and MAAC All-Academic honors in football. He walked on to the basketball team as a freshman and has seen action in 20 contests during his career.

The Tradition Continues Sophomore Andrew Spitler is the fourth Spitler to don the Blue and Gold and the fifth to play collegiate basketball. His father (Kevin), uncle (Mark) and brother (Pat) all played at Canisius, and Pat transferred to Stony Brook. Another brother, Chris, played at Holy Cross. Andrew transferred from John Carroll and attended St. Joe's High School. Andrew's parents are infamous for traveling anywhere to see their sons play. Andrew has played in three games.

From Way Downtown... With his third three-pointer against Bucknell Jan. 5, 2002, Toby Foster set a new school record for career treys. The senior bested the old mark of 147, set by Kevin Thompson, who played for the Griffs from 1994-98. Foster now has 189 career three-pointers and a .417 career percentage.

No In-Season Tournament This is the first season Canisius has not played in a regular-season tournament since the 1992-93 campaign.

On the Tube Four Golden Griffin games will be broadcast live on the Empire Sports Network this season, and two games are part of the
MAAC television package. The Griffs' home contest against St. Bonaventure Dec. 19, will be broadcast live on the Empire Sports
Network. The Griffs' game against Saint Peter's in the Pepsi Arena in Albany Jan. 20, and their home contest against Manhattan Feb. 2, will be televised live on Empire Sports Network and MSG as part of the MAAC television package. Canisius is 1-1 in televised games.

On the Air All of Griffs' games will be aired on the radio at 105.1 FM The River and all on the Internet at www.GoGriffs.com.
Non-Conference Schedule Canisius plays at Big East opponents Notre Dame (Dec. 22) and Syracuse (Dec. 30) and hosts Atlantic 10 foe St. Bonaventure (Dec. 19). The Griffs have a 4-1 non-conference mark this season.

Griffin History This is the 99th season of Canisius hoops, and the Griffs have an all-time record of 1081-966 (.528). The Golden Griffins' 93-69 victory over Iona on Feb. 8, 2001, was the 2000th men's basketball game in Canisius history.

Captains Brian Dux, Toby Foster and Hodari Mallory are the Canisius captains this season.

Canisius Signs Two Darnell Wilson and Charles Harris, a pair of players from Michigan, have signed National Letters of Intent to attend Canisius and play basketball, beginning in the 2003-04 season. A 6-foot-6, 190-pound forward, Wilson averaged 20 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks a game at John Glenn High School, where his team posted a 15-7 record and won its league tournament championship. He averaged 22 points an outing over the last 15 games of the season. Wilson was named first-team All-West by the Detroit Free Press and second-team All-West by the Detroit News. He was rated one of the top-five power forwards in Michigan by prepspotlight.com. Harris, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound guard averaged 21 points a game at Southfield Lathrop last season. He earned all-state honors in the Class A division and was named all-league. Harris will play his senior season at St. Martin DePorres High School under head coach Durand Shepherd.

Last Time Out All five starters scored in double figures, and Canisius College led from wire to wire as the Griffs defeated Morgan State, 72-46, in a matinee contest on Wendy's Kids Day in the Koessler Athletic Center Tuesday afternoon. Over 1,200 kids from Buffalo city and parochial schools attended the game, and the crowd of 1,856 tied for the seventh largest in KAC history. Yaku Moton-Spruill and Brian Dux led the Griffs in scoring with 12 points each, while Richard Jones collected 11 points and seven rebounds, and Kevin Downey scored 11 points. Hodari Mallory netted 10 points. Canisius outscored Morgan State 38-18 in the paint and held the Bears to 27.4 percent (17-for-62) shooting from the field, including five percent (1-for-20) from three-point range. It was the least points Canisius allowed since a 78-46 win over Buffalo in 1999 and the lowest shooting percentage ever for a Canisius opponent in the KAC. The Blue and Gold shot 46.8 percent from the field for the game, and posted 22 assists on 29 field goals. Canisius jumped out to an 18-5 advantage with 10:59 remaining in the first half, but Morgan State answered with a 12-4 run to cut the margin to 22-17 with 5:37 to play. The teams traded baskets for the remainder of the half, and Canisius led 28-19 at the break. Leading 37-26 4:29 into the second frame, Canisius went on a 20-3 run to blow the game open. Mallory netted six points during the stretch, while Jones and Jon Ferris capped the spurt with consecutive three-pointers.