ALBANY, N.Y. -- Rider freshman Patrick Mansell hit his only basket of the night at a huge point in the game, draining a 3-point field goal with 1:07 left on the clock to help lift the second-seeded Broncs to a 75-71 win over Canisius College Saturday night in the quarterfinal round of the 2008 Citizens Bank MAAC Basketball Tournament in the Times Union Center. Rider improves to 22-9 overall and advances the tournament's semifinal round, while the Golden Griffins see their season end at 6-25.
Greg Logins scored a game-high 20 points and helped key Canisius' second-half rally by pouring in 18 points in the game's final 20 minutes of play. Sophomore Frank Turner was good for 19 points, seven rebounds and a game-high seven assists, while Bob Bevilacqua (right) posted 15 points for the second-straight game after going 5-for-9 from the field, will all five makes coming from behind the 3-point arc.
"I told my guys how proud I am and I asked them to think about where we've come from this season," Canisius head coach Tom Parrotta said. "I'm not much for moral victories, and obviously we wanted to win the game, but when we played them in their gym they took it to us. I think this effort tonight helped us get some respect back, not only from Rider, but from people around the league."
Canisius trailed 41-29 at the intermission after Rider shot 50 percent from the floor and 66.7 percent from 3-point range in the game first 20 minutes, but the Griffs used a 15-4 run over the first 3:38 of the second stanza to make the score 45-44, with Logins posting eight of the team's 15 points during the spurt. The game would remain tight throughout the second half before Canisius took its first lead of the game at 58-57 after Bevilacqua knocked down a 3-pointer from the right wing with 11:12 left to play in regulation.
With 3:17 left to play, Rider's Jason Thompson, the MAAC Player of the Year, tipped in a high rebound to put the Broncs up 69-66, but Bevilacqua knotted the game at 69-69 moments later with a 3-pointer from the left wing. After Harris Mansell scored on a lay-up to put the Broncs up 71-69, Turner hit a jumper at the top of the key for the Griffs to square the game at 71-71 with 1:36 left to play. On the ensuing possession, Patrick Mansell hit the back-breaking 3-pointer that put Rider up for good at 74-71. With just 14 ticks left, Thompson went 1-for-2 from the line to secure the win for Rider, the Broncs' 12th-straight win over Canisius.
Thompson ended the night with 18 points and a game-high 11 rebounds in 28 minutes of play to lead four Rider players in double-figure scoring. Harris Mansell and Justin Robinson had 13 points apiece in the win, while Ryan Thompson, Jason's younger brother, chipped in 11 points and seven boards. Rider ended the night shooting 50 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range, while the Griffs shot 43.9 percent from the field and 36 percent from behind the arc, while holding a 16-10 advantage in points off turnovers and a 6-0 margin in fast break points.
Rider's win advances the team to Sunday's semifinal round where the team will meet Marist, which knocked off defending league champion Niagara in Saturday's final quarterfinal game.
Game Notes: Saturday's game was the third MAAC Tournament meeting between Canisius and Rider, with the Broncs holding a 2-1 advantage... Frank Turner ended the season as Canisius' leading scorer at 12.9 points per game... Turner has 310 career assists to move into 11th all-time in school history... Greg Logins scored in double figures in six of the team's last seven games... Tomas Vazquez-Simmons was credited with three blocked shots and ends his rookie season with 84, which ranks second in school history for blocks in a single season... Robert Goldsberry added a career-high seven points to go with six assists in the losing effort.
