Four Canisius College Golden Griffins posted double-figure points, led by sophomore guard Frank Turner (pictured) and his team-high 17, as the Blue and Gold defeated long-time rival Niagara 70-62 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action Friday night in front of 2,156 fans in the Koessler Athletic Center. The win snapped Canisius' nine-game losing streak to the Purple Eagles and improved the team to 3-14 overall and 1-6 in MAAC play, while Niagara slipped to 11-5 overall and 5-2 in conference action.
Junior guard Bob Bevilacqua scored 10 points and led Canisius with a team-high four assists, while junior Willie Hassell and Tomas Vazquez-Simmons chipped in 10 points apiece off the bench as the Blue and Gold registered its first win over Niagara since Nov. 30, 2002. Freshman Greg Logins added nine points and eight rebounds to the winning effort, while Vazquez-Simmons recorded eight boards and three blocked shots before fouling out of the game.
“This is obviously an emotional win for our guys,” Canisius head coach Tom Parrotta said. “We've had out struggles this season and we looked long and hard at ourselves over the last few weeks. We got back to basics and we prepared to win this game. I'm proud that all the hard work the guys put in paid off.”
Niagara senior Charron Fisher scored a game-high 21 points and added seven rebounds and three steals for the Purple Eagles, who have now dropped two of their last three league games. Sophomore Tyrone Lewis posted 15 points and five steals, while Stanley Hodge chipped in 13 points and four assists in the losing effort.
Canisius led 55-54 with 4:06 left to play, but stretched its lead to nine at 65-56 after the Griffs went on a 10-2 run over 2:25, capped by a traditional three-point play by Logins. Logins gave the Griffs a 57-54 lead with a lay-up, and then Bevilacqua nailed a 3-pointer from the right corner with 2:52 remaining in the game to put Canisius up 60-54. After Hassell and Fisher traded baskets to make the score 62-56, Bevilacqua hit Logins with a long skip pass from center court that the freshman laid off the glass while drawing the foul. Canisius went 4-for-9 from the free-throw line in the game's final 1:31 to seal the victory.
Niagara came out of the gates on fire, scoring the game's first 11 points to take an 11-0 lead 2:13 into the game. Following a Canisius timeout, freshman Elton Frazier went baseline and slammed one home to put the Griffs on the board. Canisius kept it close in the first half, thanks to the 3-point shot, and took its first lead of the night with 1:40 left before the break after Vazquez-Simmons drained a pair of free throws. The Blue and Gold led at the intermission by a 30-29 count after the team shot 36.7 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from behind the arc, while holding Niagara's high-power offense to 35.7 percent from the floor and 25 percent from 3-point range.
The Griffs closed out the game with a 40-32 advantage on the glass and outscored the Purple Eagles by a 30-24 margin in the paint. Canisius also took advantage of its bench with reserve players scoring 25 points on the night. The Griffs were also credited with 14 assists in the win. Coupled with the women's team total of 12 assists, the Canisius athletic department will donate $1,950 to the Brian Dux Assist Fund.
Canisius will return to action Monday, Jan. 21, when the team travels to Siena for the first of three MAAC road games. Tip-off in the Times Union Arena is set for 6:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on tape-delay by Time Warner Cable in Buffalo Monday night at 9:30 p.m.
Game Notes: Friday's game was the 160th all-time meeting between the two schools, with Niagara leading the all-time series 87-73... The win over the Purple Eagles was Canisius' first victory over its oldest rival in the Koessler Athletic Center since Feb. 15, 2000... Turner, who made his 40th career start Friday, has scored double figures for Canisius in seven of the team's last nine games... The Griffs are now 3-2 in the KAC in their last five home dates... The crowd of 2,152 was the sixth largest in Koessler Athletic Center history.
