Men's Basketball 12/15/2007 5:00:00 AM Canisius College Athletics

Malesa?s Career-High 25 Leads Men's Basketball to First Win

Canisius College senior forward Pawel Malesa (pictured) scored a career-high 25 points and tied a school record with seven 3-point field goals as the Golden Griffins ended a nine-game losing streak with an 88-62 win over Coastal Carolina Saturday afternoon in the Koessler Athletic Center. The win moved Canisius to 1-8 on the year, while the Chanticleers slipped to 4-5 with the loss.

Sophomore guard Frank Turner posted his fourth career double-double after he scored 17 points to go with a career-high 13 assists, which ties the Koessler Athletic Center record for assists in a game by a Canisius player. Jovan Robinson added 14 points and six rebounds and Willie Hassell came off the bench to chip in 12 points after he shot 5-for-7 from the floor and 2-for-3 from 3-point range.

“This win is a good reward for the guys,” Canisius head coach Tom Parrotta said. “This goes to all the hard work and for not giving up. We wanted to play Canisius basketball and that's what we did this afternoon.”

Malesa checked into the game at the 4:47 mark of the first half and made an immediate impact, draining a 3-pointer from the left wing just seconds after he stepped on the floor to give the Griffs a 28-27 lead. Canisius took control of the contest from there, using a 12-4 run over the next 3:11, capped by a 3-point field goal by Malesa with 54 seconds left before the intermission. For the first half, Canisius shot 63 percent from the field and 53.8 percent from 3-point range, while Coastal Carolina connected on 36.7 percent of its shots from the floor and 26.7 percent of its tries from behind the arc.

In the second half, the Chanticleers cut the Griffs' hold to five at 48-43 after guard Mario Sisinni hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 16:27 left in regulation time. But the Griffs answered the bell, using a 15-2 run over the next 3:14 to stretch the margin to 63-45 after Turner finished a traditional 3-point play with a lay-up and a charity toss at the 12:51 mark. The Griffs would go on to lead by as many as 32 points in the second half as the Blue and Gold closed out the game shooting 54.4 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from behind the arc, with the 15 made 3-pointers falling one shy of tying the school record for good 3-point field goals in a game, which was set against Siena Jan. 10, 2001 at home.

Guard Everage Richardson led Coastal Carolina with 17 points in the loss, while Sisinni and Anthony Breeze added 13 and 12 points, respectively. The Griffs out rebounded the Chanticleers by a 39-31 count, with Canisius sophomore Menghe a'Nyam leading the way with a career-high nine boards.

Canisius will return to action Wednesday, Dec. 19, when the team travels to Robert Morris for a non-conference game. Tip-off in Moon Township, Pa., is set for 7 p.m.

Game Notes: The game between Canisius and Coastal Carolina was the second meeting all-time between the two schools, and the series is now tied at 1-1... The 88-point effort was Canisius' largest point total in a win since Feb. 24, 2006, when the Griffs beat Saint Peter's in overtime by a score of 91-84... Coastal Carolina has now lost 26-straight non-conference road games dating back to the 2004-05 season... Pawel Malesa's 25 points came in 21 minutes of playing time... Frank Turner's 13 assists gives him 219 in his career, which ranks 22nd all-time in school history.

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Players Mentioned

#12 Menghe a'Nyam: F; 6' 4"; Freshman

#20 Willie Hassell: G; 5' 8"; Junior

#33 Pawel Malesa: G; 6' 6"; Senior

#21 Jovan Robinson: G; 6' 4"; Sophomore

#3 Frank Turner: G; 5' 10"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#12 Menghe a'Nyam
: 6' 4"; Freshman
: F

#20 Willie Hassell
: 5' 8"; Junior
: G

#33 Pawel Malesa
: 6' 6"; Senior
: G

#21 Jovan Robinson
: 6' 4"; Sophomore
: G

#3 Frank Turner
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: G