PITTSBURGH – In the second double overtime game of the day at the A.J. Palumbo Center, the Canisius College men's basketball team lost 86-77 to Duquesne on Wednesday evening. Canisius falls to 4-5 on the season and has lost three-straight games.
Senior Frank Turner led the Griffs with 23 points to go along with eight rebounds. Juniors Julius Coles and Greg Logins each had 15 points and nine rebounds while junior Tomas Vazquez-Simmons had seven points, nine rebounds and two blocks.
Duquesne (8-3) forced overtime as Canisius couldn't hold onto a 67-63 lead, going 2-for-6 from the free-throw line in the final minute of regulation. B.J. Monteiro split two free throws and after two missed free throws from freshman Alshwan Hymes, Damian Saunders made a layup to make the score 67-66. After Logins split two free throws, Monteiro scored a layup with six seconds left to tie the game at 68-68. A desperation 3-pointer from Turner hit off the backboard at the buzzer.
With the Dukes ahead by three early in the first overtime, Turner tipped a cross-court pass, leading to an uncontested layup to get Canisius within one at 71-70. After Duquesne split two free throws, Turner picked up a loose offensive rebound underneath the basket and tied the game at 72-72 with 1:33 remaining on a layup. Each team would trade empty possessions, and a shot from Turner in the final seconds hit the front of the rim, sending the game to a second overtime.
Duquesne pulled away in that second overtime. With the score tied at 76-76, the Dukes scored nine of the final 10 points. Eric Evans had a three-point play, followed by a jumper from Monteiro to make it 81-76. Turner split two free throws to make it 81-77, but the Dukes made five of six free throws in the final minute to seal the game.
"I thought we came in here tonight committed to our game plan, and there was an opportunity for us to win," Canisius head coach Tom Parrotta said. "When push came to shove, we just ran out of gas. We were not able to take advantage of things late in regulation, and to their credit, they made one or two more plays than we did."
Canisius returns to the court on Monday, for the start of the three-game Southern Mississippi Christmas Classic. The Griffs play North Florida in Gulfport, Miss., with tip time set for 5:30 p.m.
Notes: Canisius played a double overtime game for the first time since Jan. 19, 2009, against Iona… Canisius and Duquesne met for the first time since Dec. 7, 1999… Turner scored in double figures for the 28th consecutive game – all of the Canisius games during the 2009 calendar year… Canisius played an Atlantic 10 school other than St. Bonaventure for the first time since Nov. 26, 2002, a home matchup against Saint Joseph's… Turner played 30-plus minutes for the ninth time in as many games this season and for the 87th time in his career.
