Tonight The Griffs continue their five-game road trip and return to conference action at Iona. Canisius is 0-3 during its current road swing and has lost its last four overall. The Griffs will be without the services of leading scorer and rebounder Hodari Mallory, who sprained the MCL in his left knee in practice Sunday. The Blue and Gold is coming off a 57-54 loss at Florida International, the last non-conference game of the season. The Griffs are 5-6 overall and 1-1 in the MAAC. Iona enters the contest with a 7-5 record and a 2-1 conference mark. The Gaels have won three of their last four, including a 65-56 victory over then No. 22 North Carolina Dec. 27 and an 87-80 win at Saint Peter's in their last contest. Iona is 3-1 at home this season. Quick Hits Hodari Mallory tallied his third career double-double at Florida International with 14 points and 11 rebounds... The senior has scored over 20 points in five of his last nine contests... Canisius played in front of 17,305 fans at Syracuse; it's the largest attendance for a game involving Canisius since an 80-69 win over Texas Southern in front of 18,018 Nov. 22, 1997 at the Lobo Classic... The Griffs' 54 points and 35.7 shooting percentage from the floor at FIU was their least since netting 54 points and shooting 29.9 percent at Fairfield Feb. 18, 2002... Canisius has 16 or more turnovers in three of its last five games... The Griffs have shot under 40 percent from the floor in two of their last three games... Notre Dame netted 95 points against Canisius Dec. 22; it's the most for a Griffin opponent since a 99-71 loss against the Irish in 2000... 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... Canisius has 175 assists on 299 total field goals this season (58.5 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... Canisius shot 50 percent from the line against St. Bonaventure Dec. 19.

Scouting the Gaels

Greg Jenkins leads the team in scoring with 13.4 points a game but has not played since the fifth game of the season after injuring his left shoulder diving for a loose ball...Courtney Fields is averaging 13.2 points and 6.4 boards, and Steve Smith is averaging 12.2 points and 6.1 rebounds... Iona has nine players averaging 15 or more minutes a game... The Gaels are shooting 46.8 percent from the floor and 36 percent from three-point range.

Series History

Canisius leads the all-time series, which began in the 1954-55 campaign, 20-16. The Gaels have won the last three, including both games last season. Five Gaels scored in double figures in the 75-65 win in New Rochelle. Courtney Fields tallied 28 points and 11 rebounds in Iona's 61-60 win in Buffalo. Four Griffs scored in double figures, led by Andrew Bush's 14 points. Canisius won the first eight games of the series but is 1-4 in the last five. Canisius' last win at Iona was a 75-73 triumph in 1999. Canisius is 12-16 vs. Iona since joining the MAAC in 1989-90, including 2-11 in New Rochelle.

Non-Conference Schedule The Griffs finished the non-conference portion of their schedule with a 4-5 mark. Four of the five losses have come against Saint Joseph's (30-AP, 33-USA Today/ESPN), St. Bonaventure, Notre Dame (5-AP, 6-USA Today/ESPN) and Syracuse (28-AP, 28-USA Today/ESPN).

Doss Will Redshirt Canisius coach Mike MacDonald has announced that Dewitt Doss will redshirt the 2002-03 season. He will have two years of eligibility remaining. Doss, a junior guard, had a stress fracture in the fifth metatarsal of his left foot and had a screw put in to stabilize the fracture Nov. 2. He has been participating in light workouts with the team. 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. MacDonald and Toby Foster are expected to announce whether the senior forward will redshirt the season in the next two weeks. Foster, a captain, fractured the fifth metatarsal in his left foot and had a screw put in to stabilize the fracture Oct. 26. 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. Foster is participating in light individual workouts but has not begun practicing with the team.

Mid-Season Stretch Canisius is in the midst of a five-game road trip. Following tonight's game, the Griffs travel to Marist (Jan. 10).
D-D-D Defense Canisius has held its opponent under 40 percent shooting from the floor in seven games, including five of the last seven, 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. 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 Blue and Gold is allowing its opponents to shoot 37.4 percent from the field, ranking first in the MAAC.

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 Dec. 14. The senior collected 18 points and a career-high 11 assists in addition to two rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
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 73-83; .470 (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 49.6 percent from the field and 46.3 percent from three-point land 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 129-39 (.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.
Attendance Three crowds at the Koessler Athletic Center this season have ranked in the top 15 of all time. The attendance of 2,176 vs. St. Bonaventure (the first sellout since the remodeling) ranks second, the crowd of 1,856 against Morgan State is tied for eighth and the 1,808 fans against Buffalo ranks 13th.

Mr. Helper With 10 assists against Niagara Nov. 30, Brian Dux moved into third on the all-time Canisius list. He is averaging a league-best 6.1 assists a game this season and owns a + 3.1 assist to turnover ratio, good for first in the MAAC. 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 a career-high 11 assists against Buffalo Dec. 14.

The Iron Man Brian Dux is averaging 35.3 minutes a game this season. The senior has started 75 consecutive games, dating back to his freshman season. He has played in every game during his collegiate career, 102 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, Hodari Mallory and Toby Foster have a chance to put their names among the elite in Canisius basketball history. Dux has 972 career points (25th) and 423 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). Mallory has 818 career points (38th) and 382 rebounds (33rd), while 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 football honors in 2002. 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 Two more Golden Griffin games will be broadcast live on television. 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 1-2 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.

Griffin History This is the 99th season of Canisius hoops, and the Griffs have an all-time record of 1081-970 (.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 Carlos Morban netted 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the floor to lead Florida International (6-7) to a 57-54 victory over Canisius College (5-6) Thursday night at Golden Panther Arena. The Golden Panthers led 57-54 with 1.3 seconds on the clock and Canisius inbounding under the FIU basket. The Griffs couldn't connect on a pass to halfcourt as time ran out. The Blue and Gold shot 35.7 percent from the field (20-for-56) but held the Golden Panthers to 34.5 percent (20-of-58). Canisius turned the ball over 17 times, including 13 in the first half. FIU kept Canisius in the game by going 12-for-27 from the free-throw line, including 2-for-4 in the last 30 seconds. The Griffs trailed by three at 55-52 with 25 seconds left following a pair of Brian Dux free throws. Rodrigo Viegas made 1-of-2 from the line but the Griffs turned it over on their next possession. Morban went 1-for-2 from the line, and Chris Ravello scored on a layup with five seconds left, making the score 57-54. Junior Matias missed both free throws, and the ball was tipped around and out of bounds to set up the final play. Hodari Mallory led Canisius with 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Kevin Downey tallied 10 points and five boards. Richard Jones and Yaku Moton-Spruill scored seven points each. The Griffs jumped out to a 10-0 lead 5:09 into the game as Mallory scored seven of the 10. From there, FIU outscored Canisius 28-11 to take a 28-21 lead into halftime. The Golden Panthers pushed the margin to 32-21, their largest of the game early in the second stanza. Canisius pulled to within two at 43-41 with 10:05 to play on a Jon Ferris dunk, but FIU scored the next eight points to make the margin 51-41 with 7:10 to go.