Three Canisius players recorded double-doubles, led by senior Josiah Heath, who had 18 points and 13 rebounds, as the Golden Griffins posted a 72-65 victory over Fairfield Friday night in the Koessler Athletic Center. The win allows Canisius to close out the regular season with a 16-13 overall record and an 11-9 mark in MAAC play, while the Stags fell to 7-22 overall and 5-14 in conference action.
Heath's double-double was his team-leading fifth this season and the sixth of his career, while junior Kevin Bleeker recorded his second career double-double with a season-high 15 points to go with a career-high 13 rebounds. Junior Jamal Reynolds also recorded a double-double on the night with a career 15 points and 11 boards. Friday marked the first time since Nov. 22, 2004, where three Canisius players had a double-double in the same game. Senior guard Jeremiah Williams chipped in 10 points, two rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in the victory, while sophomore Zach Lewis scored seven points, dished out four assists and was credited with three steals for the Blue and Gold, which shot 48.1 percent from the field and 77.8 percent from the free-throw line in the victory.
"I'm very proud of how our guys bounced back after losing that rivalry game to Niagara on Tuesday," Canisius head coach Jim Baron said. "We knew coming in this was going to be a tough game because Fairfield is athletic and they can press you and turn you over. We told our guys the key to winning this game was to get on the glass. When was the last time we had three guys with double-figures rebounds? I give a lot of credit to these guys, especially Josiah [Heath] and [Kevin] Bleeker. They've really stepped in and stepped up for us."
A jumper by Heath with 9:06 left on the clock in the first half put Canisius up 20-14, but the Stags stormed back and eventually took a nine-point lead at 29-20 after going on a 15-0 run over the span of 3:30. The Griffs battled back and the teams went into the locker room at halftime knotted at 34-34 after the Blue and Gold went on a 7-2 run in the final 3:00 of the first half.
In the second half, Fairfield led 51-45 with less than 10:00 left on the clock, but the Griffs responded with an 8-0 run over the span of 1:37, capped by a driving lay-up from Williams, to put the Blue and Gold ahead 54-51 with 8:10 left on the clock. Canisius' lead grew to as many as eight points at 62-54 with 1:46 left to play when redshirt-freshman Kassius Robertson scored two of his seven points on the night with a lay-up.
Fairfield freshman Tyler Nelson scored a game-high 23 points for the Stags, highlighted by four makes from 3-point land. Junior Marcus Gilbert chipped in 13 points, while fellow Stag forward Mike Kirkland, Jr., had 10 points and five rebounds. Canisius ended the night with a 41-24 advantage in the rebounding battle, and the Griffs scored 22 second-chance points in the victory against Fairfield's 9 points. Canisius also held a 38-12 advantage over Fairfield on points scored in the paint.
Canisius will return to action Saturday, March 7, when the team plays in the second quarterfinal round game at the 2015 MAAC Men's Basketball Championship. Canisius' opponent will be announced Sunday at the conclusion of the league's regular season. Tipoff for the Griffs' next game is set for 2:30 p.m., in the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
 Game Notes: This was the 79th all-time meeting between Canisius and Fairfield, with the Stags holding a 44-35 lead in the series… The Griffs have now beaten the Stags in four straight, the program's longest winning streak in the series since the Blue and Gold won nine-straight meetings from Feb. 1994 through Feb. 1997… The Griffs' 11-9 MAAC record gives Canisius a winning record in league play in three-straight years for the first time since the program joined the MAAC before the 1989-90 academic year… Prior to Friday's game, the last time Bleeker had a double-double was Dec. 18, 2011, when he was good for 18 points and 10 rebounds at South Dakota on Dec. 18, 2011… Prior to the start of the game, Canisius honored Heath and Williams, who were making their final home appearance in the Koessler Athletic Center.
