All five Canisius College starters scored in double figures, led by senior Julius Coles and his team-high 18 points, as the Golden Griffins defeated Marist 75-60 Friday night in MAAC action in the Koessler Athletic Center. The win improves Canisius to 11-11 overall and 5-7 in the MAAC, while the Red Foxes dropped to 4-20 overall and 3-9 in league play after losing their seventh straight.

Coles finished the night shooting 5-for-9 from the field, 1-for-2 from 3-point land and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line to go with six rebounds and one steal in the winning effort for the Blue and Gold. Senior Greg Logins had 17 points and five rebounds, while sophomore guard Alshwan Hymes chipped in 14 points and a career-high six assists. Senior Elton Frazier was good for 12 points, three boards and three assists, and sophomore Gaby Belardo added 10 points and six assists as all five Canisius starters registered double figures in the scoring column for the first time since Feb. 5, 2006.

Canisius, which finished the night with 21 assists against a season-low five turnovers, shot 51.8 percent from the field, 43.5 percent from behind the 3-point line and 70 percent from the charity stripe in the win, which was the team's third victory in its last four outings. The Blue and Gold held a 34-16 advantage in points scored in the paint and ended the night with 19 points off 15 Marist turnovers.

For Marist, sophomore Candon Rusin scored a career-high 22 points after he went 6-for-9 from behind the 3-point line. Fellow sophomore Sam Prescott added 15 points and four boards before fouling out for the Red Foxes, which shot 43.5 percent from the field, 45.5 percent from long-range and 66.7 percent from the free-throw line.

Canisius did not waste much time getting on the scoreboard as Belardo drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key just 26 seconds into the contest, and from there, the Griffs held a 9-3 cushion 4:48 into the contest after Hymes drove through the lane and laid one off the glass. Marist cut Canisius' hold to 9-6 on a trey by Prescott, but the Griffs answered with buckets by Frazier and senior Tomas Vazquez-Simmons to push the score to 13-6 with 12:58 left in the first stanza.

Marist was able to make the score 20-16 with a 5-0 run midway through the first half, but the Blue and Gold pulled away for good with a 15-7 run over a span of 3:26 with Hymes knocking down a pair of 3-pointers and Frazier adding four points to the effort. Canisius took a 21-point lead into the locker room at the intermission after the Griffs shot 66.7 percent from the floor and 50 percent from 3-point land in the first 20 minutes of play.

"Any time you hear 21 assists against five turnovers and Canisius College in the same sentence, it's a great thing," Canisius head coach Tom Parrotta said. "Clearly, our guys took it upon themselves to come out and play the way they know how. They got it inside early and often and guys like Greg [Logins] and Elton [Frazier] made shots in the lane. It was a great effort at both ends of the floor, especially in the first half, where our defense got us separation early." 

In the second half, Marist was able to cut the Griffs' margin to 12 at 59-47 following a 3-pointer by Rusin from the corner, but Canisius ended any hopes Marist may have had with a quick 6-0 run over a span of 1:34 where Coles scored four points and Logins added a basket of his own.

"Marist is a tough team because they keep coming at you and they make shots to keep themselves in the game," Parrotta said. "They cut it to 12, but to our credit, we made plays and got good looks at the basket to kind of end their push there late in the game."

The Griffs will close out their weekend homestand Sunday, Feb. 6, when the team plays host to Saint Peter's in the Koessler Athletic Center. Tipoff time is set for 2 p.m.