The Canisius men's basketball team tied a Koessler Athletic Center record with 16 made 3-point field goals and seven Golden Griffins posted double-figures in the scoring column, as the Blue and Gold defeated Monmouth 96-86 Friday night in the MAAC opener for both teams. Canisius is now 3-3 overall and 1-0 in league play, while the Hawks fell to 4-3 overall and 0-1 in conference action.

The 16 made 3-pointers fell one shy of the Canisius program record of 17, set Dec. 9, 2012 at Marist. Canisius made 16 treys in the Koessler Athletic Center against Siena Jan. 10, 2001, and Saint Peter's also cashed in 16 3-point field goals on the KAC floor Feb. 19, 2004. Eight different Griffs made at least one 3-pointer in Friday's win, including senior Jamal Reynolds, who knocked down a key triple from just in front of the Griffs' bench with 4:10 left to play that turned an eight-point Canisius lead into an 11-point cushion at 85-74.

"We knew this was going to be a hard-fought game, Monmouth is a very good team with a number of upperclassmen," Canisius head coach Jim Baron said. "I thought we did a good job sharing the basketball, and we were able to find guys who made open shots. We have a quick turn-around with a big, physical Quinnipiac team coming in here tomorrow, so now we need to get ready for them."

Senior Malcolm McMillan scored a team-high 22 points to go with seven rebounds and four assists. Junior Phil Valenti added 14 points, eight boards and three assists, while freshman Chris Atkinson came off the bench to post 12 points on the power of four-made 3-point field goals. He also was credited with five assists and zero turnovers in 16 minutes. Canisius shot 43.9 percent from the floor, 45.7 percent from 3-point land and 75.9 percent from the free-throw line, while outrebounding Monmouth 46-39.

Canisius jumped out to an 8-0 lead 1:31 into the contest, but the Hawks raced back with a 17-3 run to take a 17-11 lead with 13:49 left before halftime. Trailing 20-17, Canisius used a 17-2 run over the span of 2:54, highlighted by four 3-point field goals, two from Atkinson, and a traditional 3-point play by redshirt-freshman Isaiah Gurley. Monmouth was able to whittle Canisius' cushion down to nine points at 36-27 with 5:39 left before the intermission, but the Griffs used another run, this time out scoring Monmouth 8-1 over the span of 2:14, powered by 3-point field goals from McMillan and sophomore Jermaine Crumpton. 

Canisius led 53-37 at the break after the Blue and Gold made 12 3-pointers in the game's first 20 minutes. In the second half, the Hawks fought back and got within five points at 74-69 with 8:07 left to play, but again, the three-ball proved to be good to the Griffs as Atkinson drained a triple from the left wing with 7:46 left to play to drive the lead back to eight points at 77-69. A pair of free-throws by Monmouth's Justin Robinson made the score 80-74 with 4:58 let to play, but the Griffs answered the bell one more time with six-straight points, including Reynolds' 3-point field goal, to push the lead back to a dozen at 86-74 with 3:30.

Robinson, the fourth-leading scorer in the nation, posted a game-high 23 points in the loss for Monmouth, while junior Je'lon Hornbeak added 18 points and six rebounds. Monmouth shot 40.6 percent from the field, 34.6 percent from 3-point land and 80.8 percent from the charity stripe in the losing effort, but the Hawks did end the night with 24 fast-break points and 20 points off Canisius' 14 turnovers.

The Griffs will have a quick turnaround, as the team plays host to Quinnipiac tomorrow night in the Koessler Athletic Center. Game time is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN3, with the radio call available on Timeless WECK 1230-AM and FM-102.9 in Buffalo and on GoGriffs.com.

Game Notes: This was the sixth all-time meeting between Canisius and Monmouth… The win snapped the Hawks' four-game winning streak in the series… The 96 points stand as the most points for Canisius in a MAAC opener in regulation time – the Blue and Gold scored 106 points in an overtime loss to Niagara in First Niagara Center to start the 2003-04 conference schedule… Canisius has now scored 90-plus points in back-to-back games for the first time since Feb. 16 and Feb. 20, 2005… Canisius is one of nine teams in the nation to have scored 90 or more points in three or more games this season… The Griffs were credited with 20 assists on 29 made field goals in the win, the best assist total for the team since Dec. 30, 2014 against UMKC… McMillan's seven rebounds matches a career-high for the senior guard… Senior Kevin Bleeker and Reynolds each had two blocks in the win as Canisius recorded a season-high five blocked shots… Canisius' bench scored a season-high 28 points on Friday night.