The Canisius College men's basketball team mounted a furious rally, but wasn't able to hang on in the end as the Golden Griffins lost 69-64 to the University at Buffalo in the Koessler Athletic Center on Wednesday night.

Junior Chris Gadley led Canisius (0-2) with 20 points and 10 rebounds, his second double-double in as many games in a Golden Griffin uniform. Junior Frank Turner added 16 points while sophomore Greg Logins had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Buffalo (2-0) held a 60-41 advantage with 10:34 remaining after a layup by Rodney Pierce, who had a career-high 26 points on the night. Canisius then put together a 23-3 run spanning the next eight minutes, using its full-court press to force turnovers and create opportunities. Turner had eight of his 16 points during the run, including a 3-pointer from the right wing to cut Buffalo's lead to one at 63-62 with 3:01 remaining. Logins also had eight points during the run, and his two free throws with 2:29 left gave Canisius a 64-63 lead, its first advantage since scoring the first basket of the game.

“I think it was a bit deflating early when they were hitting some tough shots, but then we started going inside and it turned the game around,” Canisius head coach Tom Parrotta said. “Once we started scoring, we were able to get up and press, and then we forced turnovers. That was an example of the hard work and defensive mindset we need to show for 40 minutes.”

The Bulls would hold Canisius scoreless the rest of the game, scoring the final six points of the contest. A free throw by Max Boudreau tied the game at 64-64 with 2:06 remaining. After the team's traded turnovers, Gadley missed with 1:29 remaining to give the ball back to Buffalo. Pierce missed a 3-pointer with 53 seconds left and John Boyer grabbed the offensive rebound. Later in the possession, Boyer found Gamble in the corner and Boyer made a 3-pointer to put the Bulls up for good.

Canisius had a chance to tie it with 25 seconds remaining, but a Canisius 3-pointer hit the front of the rim and Buffalo made two free throws to put the game away.

Pierce led all players with his 26 points on 10-of-21 shooting while Calvin Betts added 10 points and eight rebounds.

Canisius returns to the court on Saturday, when the Golden Griffins host Long Island. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

Game Notes: Eight of the last 10 games between Canisius and Buffalo have been decided by six points or less... Gadley is the first Griff to record a double-double in back-to-back games since Darnell Wilson did it Feb. 13 and Feb. 17, 2007... Logins' double-double was the second of his career... The last time Canisius had two players with double-doubles in the same game was Feb. 13, 2007 at Niagara... The Griffs outscored Buffalo 28-18 in the paint and held a 16-12 advantage in points off turnovers... The announced crowd of 2,176 was the fifth sellout of the Koessler Athletic Center since the gym was renovated in 2002.