Canisius College held visiting Rider to nine points in the game's final 12:13 and senior Frank Turner scored a game-high 21 points as the Golden Griffins defeated the Broncs 74-58 in a MAAC contest Friday night in the Koessler Athletic Center. The win improves Canisius to 10-10 overall and 5-4 in the MAAC, while Rider dropped its third straight to fall to 10-11 overall and 3-6 in conference play.

Turner added six assists and six rebounds to his 21 points, while not turning the ball over. As a team, Canisius was charged with a season-low seven turnovers, while outscoring Rider by a 42-16 margin in the paint. Junior Julius Coles chipped in 20 points and nine rebounds to the winning effort, while fellow junior Elton Frazier was credited with 11 points and seven rebounds. As a team, Canisius shot 42.2 percent from the field and 88.2 percent from the free-throw line.

The Blue and Gold turned up the defensive effort in the game's final 12 minutes by outscoring the Broncs 18-9 to seal the victory. Rider's Jhamar Youngblood made the score 56-49 with 12:13 left on the clock with two of his nine points, but the Griffs pulled away by not allowing Rider to score another point for 5:20. The Broncs ended the night by shooting 35.1 percent from the floor and 36.4 percent from 3-point range, with junior Justin Robinson scoring a team-high 19 points in the losing effort.

"In the first half, I think [Rider] did a good job stretching us out and that gave them some good looks," Canisius head coach Tom Parrotta said. "I think we did a real good job contesting shots in the second half and we cut down on their ability to drive to the basket. We went out and kind of threw a blanket on them, and when we defend, it allows us to get out in transition and score points."

Junior Greg Logins posted eight points and nine boards off the bench for the Griffs in the win, while fellow junior Tomas Vazquez-Simmons was good for six points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots. Rider senior Ryan Thompson was credited with 10 points, six assists and five rebounds for the Broncs, which have now dropped two-straight games in the Koessler Athletic Center.

Canisius will return to action Sunday when the team hosts Saint Peter's on Hall of Fame Day in the Koessler Athletic Center. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. At halftime, Canisius will honor its 2009 Sports Hall of Fame induction class - softball coach Mike Rappl, former baseball player Keith Applegate and the 1948 football team.

Game Notes: Canisius has now taken two of three from Rider, but still trails the all-time series by a 24-6 count... The seven turnovers for the Griffs on Friday are the fewest for the team since the Blue and Gold was charged with nine in the win over Southern Miss Dec. 22... Canisius improved to 17-8 in the last 25 games where the team held its opponents under 40 percent from the field... Turner's 21 points gives him 1,593 for his career, which ranks fifth all-time in school history... The senior guard from Atlantic City, N.J. passed the 100 assist mark for the season as well, making him the first player in school history to dish outt 100-plus assists in four-straight seasons... Vazquez-Simmons' three blocks gives him 176 for his career, and he now has 102 against MAAC schools... Freshman Alshwan Hymes was credited for three assists, which matches a career-high.