Five Things to Know - Men's Basketball vs. Rider

#Griffs Game Notes vs. Rider (PDF)
Game No. 14
Canisius (6-7, 0-0 MAAC) vs. Rider (7-5, 0-0 MAAC)
Date: Friday, Dec. 29, 2017
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Location: Buffalo, N.Y. | Koessler Athletic Center
Online Video: ESPN3 - CLICK HERE
Talent: Brendan McDaniels (p-x-p) and Andy Helwig (color)
Live Audio: WECK Radio 1230-AM/102.9-FM (Buffalo) - CLICK HERE
Talent: Ben Wagner (p-x-p)
Live Stats: GoGriffs.com - CLICK HERE
Twitter: @Griffs_MBB | #Griffs; #DefendMainSt

GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS
• Game presented by Buffalo's Very Own WECK Radio 1230-AM and 102.9-FM
• Fans will have the chance to win great prizes from WECK, and sign up to win movie tickets

Five Things to Know Before Canisius Plays Rider
1. Canisius Starts MAAC Play Friday Afternoon
• The Canisius Golden Griffins will open their 29th season of MAAC play on Friday afternoon when the Blue and Gold plays host to Rider in the Koessler Athletic Center. Game time is set for 4:30 p.m. Canisius enters the game riding its second two-game winning streak of the season after the team went on the road and defeated Robert Morris 76-62 Dec. 22 to close out non-conference play. All-time, Canisius is 14-14 in the first MAAC game of the season, having won five-straight league openers, dating back to 2012-13.

2. Defending Main Street
• Canisius heads into Friday's game with a 3-1 record in its first four home dates of the season. The Griffs have won those three games by an average of 16.3 points per game, highlighted by a 104-84 victory over Youngstown State Nov. 18 in the 2017-18 home opener. As a team, Canisius is shooting 52.1 percent from the floor at home this season where the team boasts four players averaging better than 10.5 points per game at home, led by senior Jermaine Crumpton and his 19.0 points per game home scoring average.

3. Reese All Over the MAAC Rankings
• Canisius sophomore Isaiah Reese starts MAAC play on Friday ranked among the top-10 in the MAAC in eight different statistical categories. As the only player in the league to rank in the top-10 in scoring, rebounding and assists per game average, Reese also ranks second in the conference in steals per game with 2.0 per contest. He had three steals in the win at Robert Morris to extend his streak of games with multiple steals to five.

4. Johnson More Than Happy to Help
• Canisius sophomore Malik Johnson ranks fourth in the MAAC in assists per game average at 5.0, which is 62nd nationally. The MAAC's leader in assist-to-turnover ratio, the Richmond, Va., native has scored 13 points in each of the team's last two games - both victories.

5. Planincic Holds a Block Party
• Canisius senior Selvedin Planincic matched a career-high with 11 points in the team's win over Robert Morris Dec. 22, a game where he also recorded a career-high five blocked shots. He starts Friday's game against Rider tied for third in the MAAC with 1.2 blocks per game, and as a team, Canisius has already recorded 44 blocks in 13 games after recording just 64 total blocks in 34 games a season ago.

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Players Mentioned

#2 Jermaine Crumpton: F; 6' 6"; Senior

#1 Malik Johnson: G; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#10 Selvedin Planincic: C; 6' 11"; Senior

#13 Isaiah Reese: G; 6' 5"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#2 Jermaine Crumpton
: 6' 6"; Senior
: F

#1 Malik Johnson
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: G

#10 Selvedin Planincic
: 6' 11"; Senior
: C

#13 Isaiah Reese
: 6' 5"; Sophomore
: G