BEAUMONT, TEXAS - Canisius senior Tomas Vazquez-Simmons scored all 15 of his points in the second half, and fellow seniors Elton Frazier and Julius Coles added 22 and 10 points apiece as the Golden Griffins ended a two-game slide with a 78-72 win over Lamar in the Montagne Center in Beaumont, Texas. The win improves Canisius to 5-6 on the year, while the Cardinals slipped to 5-6 with the loss.

Vazquez-Simmons went 6-for-9 from the field, 1-for-1 from 3-point land and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line while adding seven rebounds and three blocked shots to the Griffs' winning effort. Frazier scored 22 points for the second-straight game while pulling down eight boards and dishing out three assists, while Coles registered his fourth career double-double by adding a career-high 12 rebounds to the winning cause. Sophomore Gaby Belardo chipped in 14 points and three assists for the Blue and Gold, which was credited with 18 assists against 12 turnovers.

For Lamar, Mike James had a team-high 15 points while Anthony Miles and Donley Minor added 12 points apiece. The Cardinals, which entered the game ranked third in the nation in scoring average at 89.2 points per game, shot 38.7 percent from the field and 26.3 percent from 3-point range.

Canisius trailed 46-43 with 12:47 left in the game, but Belardo knotted the game at 46-46 with 11:58 on a 3-pointer following an offensive board by junior Marial Dhal. Lamar regained the lead moments later with a three-ball of its own, but four-straight points from sophomore Alshwan Hymes knotted the contest at 51-51 with 9:23 left on the clock. Frazier put the Griffs in the lead for good with a fast break lay-up off a feed from sophomore Reggie Groves, and a Robert Goldsberry lay-in with 8:19 left in the game put the Blue and Gold up 55-51.

On Lamar's ensuing possession, Minor drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key to cut the Griffs' cushion to one at 55-54, but Canisius gave itself some breathing room with a 6-2 spurt over the next 1:10 fueled by a trey from Hymes and a lay-up from Vazquez-Simmons. Canisius' margin hovered around three points for the better part of the next four minutes before Vazquez-Simmons helped seal the win with a two-handed dunk off a pass from Frazier with 1:39 left on the clock to make the score 70-65. After a Lamar bucket, the Griffs answered when Belardo nailed a jumper from just outside the paint, and the Blue and Gold sealed the victory with six-straight free-throws in the final 34 seconds, capped by two makes by Vazquez-Simmons with 14 ticks left.

For the night, Canisius shot 43.9 percent from the field, 38.9 percent from behind the arc and 65 percent from the free-throw line while holding a 45-33 advantage on the glass. Four Canisius players were credited with three assists in the game, with Goldsberry leading Canisius with a team-high four helpers.

The Griffs will return to action Wednesday, Dec. 29, when the team plays host to Northwestern State in the Koessler Athletic Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.