Men's Basketball 1/15/2009 5:00:00 AM Canisius College Athletics

Men's Basketball Streaks Past Rider

Canisius College sophomore Julius Coles scored a career-high 26 points and junior teammate Frank Turner added 20 points and seven assists as the Golden Griffins snapped a four-game losing streak with an 84-66 win over Rider Thursday night in the Koessler Athletic Center. The win, which improved Canisius to 6-11 on the year and 1-6 in MAAC play, also ended the Blue and Gold's 12-game losing streak to Rider, which dated back to Jan. 22, 2004. The Broncs fell to 9-7 overall and 4-2 in conference action with the loss.

Coles' 26 points came after he went 10-for-17 from the field, 2-for-5 from 3-point range and 4-for-6 from the line in 35 minutes of action. His 26 points are the most for a Canisius player this season. Turner's 20 points came after he went 8-for-15 from the field, 1-for-3 from long range and 3-for-4 from the charity stripe. The junior guard became the program's 29th player to score 1,000 career points on a layup with 26 seconds left on the clock. He now has 1,001 career points in 79 career games as a Griff.

For Rider, which shot 36.2 percent from the field and 11.1 percent from 3-point land, junior guard Ryan Thompson scored a team-high 18 points to go with 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. Mike Ringgold and Novar Gadson added 11 points apiece in the loss for Rider.

“This is obviously a pivotal win for us,” Canisius head coach Tom Parrotta said. “I think we were knocking on the door the last few games and I told the guys there's something to be said about working really hard but coming up empty. I think the guys are starting to realize that. They've worked so hard that it's time to push through and I think tonight was the perfect example of that.”

Canisius shot 51.7 percent from the field and 76.9 percent from the foul line in the game's first 20 minutes to take a 43-33 lead into the locker room at the break. In the second half, Canisius led by as many as 10 points early before the Broncs made a run and cut the Griffs' hold to five at 50-45 on a jumper by Harris Mansell with 15:27 left to play. Canisius was able to pull away from there, outscoring Rider 10-3 through the game's next 4:42, capped by a 3-pointer by Coles from the top of the key.

Canisius took a double-digit lead with 5:47 left when Greg Logins knocked down a three from the right wing to put the team up 71-61. Down the stretch, the Coles and Turner scored seven-straight points before Elton Frazier slammed one down on a baseline jam to cap off the night.

“The fans started to get into the game and cheer, and that's what these kids need. Parrotta said. “It was good to give them something to cheer about and I think people rallied around them tonight which was nice to see.”

Canisius will return to action Saturday afternoon when the team plays host to Iona. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. in the Koessler Athletic Center.

Game Notes: Coles' 26 points in the win are the most for a Canisius player since Turner had 26 in a home win over Fairfield Feb. 1, 2008... The Griffs were charged with a season-low eight turnovers... Robert Goldsberry matched a career best with seven points for Canisius after he drained a career-high two 3-pointers... Tomas Vazquez-Simmons had three blocks in the win, the 18th time in his career he's had three or more blocks in a game, to go with a game-high 11 rebounds.

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Players Mentioned

#15 Julius Coles: G; 6' 4"; Sophomore

#24 Elton Frazier: F; 6' 6"; Sophomore

#3 Robert Goldsberry: G; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#00 Greg Logins: F; 6' 7"; Sophomore

#2 Frank Turner: G; 5' 10"; Junior

#42 Tomas Vazquez-Simmons: F; 6' 7"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#15 Julius Coles
: 6' 4"; Sophomore
: G

#24 Elton Frazier
: 6' 6"; Sophomore
: F

#3 Robert Goldsberry
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: G

#00 Greg Logins
: 6' 7"; Sophomore
: F

#2 Frank Turner
: 5' 10"; Junior
: G

#42 Tomas Vazquez-Simmons
: 6' 7"; Sophomore
: F