VERMILLION, S.D. - Canisius sophomore Alshwan Hymes scored a career-high 18 points to lead all scorers and senior Tomas Vazquez-Simmons registered his seventh career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds as the Golden Griffins posted a 73-69 win over South Dakota Tuesday night in the DakotaDome in Vermillion, S.D. The win snapped Canisius' two-game losing streak and moved the team to 4-4 on the season, while the Coyotes fell to 3-6 with the loss.
Hymes came off the bench to post his career-high 18 points after he went 7-for-12 from the field and 4-for-7 from 3-point range, while Vazquez-Simmons added a season-high 10 rebounds to his 13 points while also being credited with four assists and three blocked shots in 32 minutes of action. Senior Elton Frazier was good for 11 points and eight rebounds for the Blue and Gold while fellow senior Julius Coles added 10 points to the winning effort as the Griffs ended their four-game road swing with a 2-2 record.
"I'm very proud of the way this team dug down and pulled this win out in a tough place to play,' Canisius head coach Tom Parrotta said. "Our senior starters set the tone early and despite some turnovers late, we got solid contributions from everyone. This was a good team win for us tonight."
For South Dakota, sophomore Jake Thomas had 15 points, while freshman center Trevor Gruis added 14 points and seven boards. Louie Krogman chipped in 12 points for the Coyotes, who shot 37.1 percent from the field, 27.8 percent from 3-point range and 63.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Canisius led 37-29 at the break, but South Dakota outscored the Griffs 11-5 in the first 4:48 of the second stanza to make the score 42-40 in favor of the Blue and Gold. Moments later, the Coyotes knotted the game at 47-47, but the Griffs used a 10-4 run over a span of 2:57 to take a six-point lead at 57-51 with 9:29 left in the game, capped by a 3-pointer by Hymes. Canisius was able to maintain its lead for the next six-plus minutes, and the cushion went to five points at 65-60 with 2:34 left when Gaby Belardo drove through the lane and laid one off the glass for two of his nine points. After Thomas drained a 3-pointer from 28-feet on South Dakota's next possession, Hymes was able to fight through the lane and hit a 12-foot jumper to push the lead back to three at 69-66 with 1:09 left.
Thomas missed a jumper from the top of the key on South Dakota's next trip down the floor, and Belardo was able to hit a pair of free-throws with 26 seconds left to give Canisius a 71-66 margin. On the next time down the floor, Thomas hit a fade-away 3-pointer from the right wing to cut the Griffs' hold to 71-69, but Vazquez-Simmons drilled a pair of free throws with 14 seconds left on the clock to seal the game at 73-69.
Greg Logins had nine points and eight rebounds in the win for Canisius, while Belardo was good for six assists, matching his career high as a Griff. For the game, Canisius shot 49.1 percent from the field, 44.4 percent from 3-point range and 90 percent from the free-throw line, while holding a 44-35 advantage on the glass.
Canisius will return home Friday, Dec. 10, when the team hosts St. Francis (NY) in the Koessler Athletic Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
Game Notes: Canisius and South Dakota met for the first time in school history... The Griffs are 5-3 all-time under Parrotta when playing a team for the first time in school history... The road win was Canisius' second road victory of the season... Hymes has 13 made 3-pointers in the team's last four games... Logins is now nine points shy of joining the school's 1,000-career point club... This marks the second time this season where Canisius has had four players score in double figures in a game.
