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Canisius University Athletics

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Jonathan Sanks
www.tomwolf.smugmug.com
87
Winner #21/22 Buffalo BUF 12-1
72
Canisius CAN 3-8
Winner
#21/22 Buffalo BUF
12-1
87
Final
72
Canisius CAN
3-8
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
#21/22 Buffalo BUF 41 46 87
Canisius CAN 35 37 72

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

No. 21 Buffalo Beats Men’s Basketball, 87-72

Game Recap
The University at Buffalo used a 21-2 run midway through the first half to erase a 10-point deficit, and the nation's 21st ranked team never looked back, as the Bulls defeated Canisius 87-72 Saturday night in front of a sold-out out Koessler Athletic Center. The win moves Buffalo to 12-1 on the year, while the Golden Griffins fell to 3-8 with their second-straight loss.
 
Canisius took a 23-13 lead with 12:21 remaining in the first half after junior Isaiah Reese drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing. That would be Canisius' largest lead of the night, as the Bulls took control of the non-league contest by scoring 21 of the game's next 23 points over a span of 5:09. In that decisive run, Buffalo hit five 3-point field goals, while the Griffs went just 1-for-9 from the field at their end of the floor.
 
Buffalo senior CJ Massinburg scored a game-high 22 points to lead four Buffalo players in double-figures in the victory, the Bulls' first win at the Koessler Athletic Center since Nov. 23, 2010. Fellow senior Nick Perkins chipped in 18 points and nine rebounds, while senior Jeremy Harris was good for 17 points, nine boards and three assists. Sophomore Jayvon Graves posted 10 points to the winning effort as well, as the Bulls ended the night by shooting 50.0 percent from the field, 44.0 percent (11-for-25) from 3-point land and 58.8 percent from the free-throw line.
 
For Canisius, sophomore Takal Molson led the Griffs with 15 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists. Reese and fellow junior Malik Johnson each had 13 points in the losing effort and senior Jonathan Sanks came off the bench to record 10 points for the Blue and Gold. Reese was credited with a team-high eight rebounds for Canisius, which lost the rebounding battle by a 45-41 count for the night, and Johnson posted five assists for the third-straight game. On the night, the Griffs shot just 36.2 percent from the floor, 22.9 percent from 3-point range and 70.0 percent from the charity stripe.
 
Canisius trailed 41-35 at the break, and a bucket by sophomore Jalanni White got the home team within four at 41-37, but a 7-0 Buffalo run pushed the Bulls' cushion back to double-digits at 48-37 with 17:45 left in the contest. Buffalo closed out the night by shooting 51.5 percent from the field in the game's second half, scoring 26 of its 46 second half points in the paint, and turned six second-half Canisius turnovers into nine points.
 
Head Coach Reggie Witherspoon's Postgame Comments
"We have to use tonight to get better. We are still learning how hard we have to play every single possession. We need to learn these lessons quickly and get ready for league play."
 
"As a team, we need to get to a point where we work hard all of the time. Not just when we want to, or when it feels good, but all of the time. We have to get better. We have to get better together. We can't do that individually, or through frustration. We aren't going to get better one at a time. We need to get better and work together to improve as a team."
 
"We did some things well tonight. I don't think we've had a game this year where we had 40 rebounds. I don't think we had a game this year where we had as many offensive rebounds. But, again, we need to be able to do it for a longer period of time."
 
Game Notes
• This was the 51st all-time meeting between the two cross-town rivals. Canisius leads the series 32-19.
• Saturday's game marked the 103rd time in program history where Canisius played a team ranked in the Associated Press Top-25 poll, but it was the first time the Griffs hosted a ranked opponent in the Koessler Athletic Center.
• Canisius' 17 offensive rebounds and 15 second-chance points are both season highs.
• Molson extended his streak of scoring in double-figures to 15-straight games, dating back to last season, with his 15-point effort on Saturday.
• Reese's two makes from 3-point land marks the sixth time this season and the 37th time in his career where he's made multiple treys in a game.
• The five assists for Johnson gives him five-or more assists in 36 career games. It also gives him 331 career assists, which ranks him 12th in school history.
• Senior Jibreel Faulkner came off the bench and scored nine points for the Griffs. In the team's last three contests, Faulkner is averaging 11.3 points per game.

Up Next
Canisius will open the 2019 calendar year on the road, as the team starts MAAC play at Marist on Jan. 3. Tipoff in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., is set for 7 p.m. That contest will be broadcast on ESPN+, with the radio call available on WECK-Radio Buffalo, GoGriffs.com and the TuneIn app.
 
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