Location: Gallagher Center – Lewiston, N.Y.

Starters:  G - #1 Malcolm McMillan; G - #5 Kassius Robertson, G - #23 Jamal Reynolds, F - #22 Phil Valenti, C - #14 Kevin Bleeker

Game Recap
A late 13-4 run in the closing minutes of regulation helped lift the Canisius Golden Griffins to a 70-61 win over long-time rival Niagara Friday night in the Gallagher Center in Lewiston, N.Y. That run, which featured 11 points from seniors Kevin Bleeker and Malcolm McMillan, helped the Blue and Gold improve to 10-10 overall and 5-4 in MAAC play, while the Purple Eagles fell to 5-15 overall and 3-6 in conference action.

McMillan scored a team-high 17 points to go with six rebounds and four assists in the win for Canisius, which has now won four-straight in Niagara's Gallagher Center for the first time in program history. Sophomore Kassius Robertson chipped in 15 points and three assists, while junior Phil Valenti was good for his third career double-double effort with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Canisius shot 43.4 percent from the field in the win and closed out the contest by shooting 73.1 percent from the free-throw line, highlighted by 11-straight makes from the stripe in the game's final 2:14. Bleeker scored seven points, five in the game's final 2:59, and he was also credited with four rebounds and a career-high four blocked shots.

Niagara sophomore Matt Scott posted a game-high 20 points in the loss for Niagara, which has now dropped three straight. He was also credited with seven rebounds. Redshirt-junior Emile Blackman added 14 points, while freshman Marvin Prochet was credited with nine boards. Niagara shot 35.8 percent from the field, 20 percent from 3-point land and ended the game with 12 turnovers.

Canisius has now won five of the last six meetings between the two Western New York rivals after earning just five victories in the previous 30 contests between the two schools. 

How It Happened:
• After a slow start to the game, Niagara was able to take a 16-11 lead midway through the first half on a 3-point field goal by Justin Satchell. Canisius answered by outscoring Niagara 7-2 over the next 2:30, highlighted by six-straight points from Valenti, to knot the game at 18-18 with 6:20 left before the halftime break.
• Scott hit a pair of free-throws for Niagara with 2:38 left before halftime to tie the game at 25-25. Canisius was able to take the lead late in the first half on a 3-pointer by Robertson, and the teams went into the locker room at halftime with Canisius leading 32-30.
• After the teams traded buckets back-and-forth to start the second stanza, Niagara took a 45-43 lead with 10:08 left to play on a jumper from Scott. That would end up being the Purple Eagles' final lead of the night, as Canisius went on a 6-0 run over the game's next 1:01, capped by a lay-up by junior Keifer Douse.
• Leading 53-51 with 4:07 left on the clock, Canisius outscored Niagara 13-4 in the span of 2:49. In that run, Bleeker had five points and McMillan went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line to help seal the victory for the Griffs.

Beyond the Box Score:
• Canisius has now held its last two opponents under 40 percent from the field for the game after Niagara shot 35.8 percent from the field.
• The Griffs scored 34 points in the paint in the win. In each of the team's last three wins, the Griffs are averaging 28.7 points in the paint.
• The Griffs led at intermission for the third-straight game and the team improved to 7-1 this season when leading after 20 minutes.
• Canisius is now 8-6 on the year when scoring 70 or more points in a game.
• The Blue and Gold was credited with 15 assists on 23-made field goals Friday, with four different players recording multiple assists in the victory.

Quotes from Canisius coach Jim Baron
"I think our guys came out and played with a lot of intensity. We didn't play real smart early on, but as the game got moving and we started executing, we made some adjustments. We had to try and slow them down because they're so athletic and they were looking to get to the basket on us."

"In the second half, we rebounded the ball a lot better. We started to be aggressive, and then we got to the foul line, which we wanted to do. They're a good team, they have a lot of pieces. This was a very good win for us at this particular time, and now we need to get ready for Siena."

"I thought we gave them too many foul shots in the first half. We had to switch to zone defensively because I didn't want them getting to the line. They tried to slow us down by extending that press like Manhattan did to us, but we got moving a little quicker and we started moving the ball to get it inside."

"Getting Phil [Valenti] the ball in the middle was key for us. He can put it on the floor and score. He's a really athletic guy. He's also a very good passer. I thought him getting more touches there before halftime really helped us."

Additional Game Notes:
• This was the 177th all-time meeting between the two schools, with Niagara leading the series 97-80.
• To find the last time Canisius won four-straight road games in this series, you need to look back to the 1984-87 season, where Canisius won two games in the Gallagher Center and two games in the Niagara Falls Convention Center.
• Two of Valenti's three career double-doubles have come against Niagara, and they were both earned on the road.
• The 11 rebounds for Valenti matches his career high. He also had 11 boards against St. Bonaventure Nov. 22, 2014
• McMillan's 12 makes from the free-throw line marks the fourth time this season where he's made 10-plus free-throws in a game. He entered Friday's game ranked 17th nationally in total free-throws made.
• Douse matched a career-high with six points off the bench, the second-straight game where he's scored six points for the Griffs in a reserve roll.
• With the win, Canisius head coach Jim Baron moves into eighth on the school's all-time coaching wins list with 69 victories. He is now 18-3 in his 29-year head coaching career against Niagara.

Up Next: Canisius will return home on Sunday for the team's first home date in 15 days when the Griffs take on Siena in the Koessler Athletic Center. Game time is set for 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and the radio call will be on Timeless WECK 1230-AM and 102.9-FM in Buffalo and GoGriffs.com. The M&T Bank Pregame Show will start at 1:40 p.m. At halftime, Canisius will honor three teams from 1993-96 that went to two NITs and the 1996 NCAA Tournament.