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Canisius University Athletics

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Jalanni White
www.tomwolf.smugmug.com
57
St. Bonaventure SBU 1-4
61
Winner Canisius CAN 2-2
St. Bonaventure SBU
1-4
57
Final
61
Canisius CAN
2-2
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
St. Bonaventure SBU 27 30 57
Canisius CAN 35 26 61

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Basketball Beats St. Bonaventure

Game Recap
Canisius freshman Jacco Fritz posted his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and senior Malik Johnson scored five of his team-high 15 points at the free-throw line in the game's final 31 seconds, as the Golden Griffins defeated long-time rival St. Bonaventure 61-57 Saturday afternoon at KeyBank Center.
 
The win, Canisius' second straight, moves the Blue and Gold to 2-2 on the year, while the Bonnies slipped to 1-4 with the loss.
 
In a low-scoring, grind-it-out affair, the Griffs ended the day with seven players scoring five-or-more points in the victory, led by Johnson's 15-point performance. Fritz had his 12 points after he went 5-for-6 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, while freshman Armon Harried and junior Jalanni White chipped in nine and eight points, respectively. As a team, Canisius shot just 39.2 percent from the field and 23.8 percent from 3-point land, but the Griffs were able to secure the win by going 16-of-17 from the charity stripe while out-rebounding St. Bonaventure by a 40-24 clip, with 16 of those boards coming off the offensive glass.
 
For the Bonnies, sophomore Kyle Lofton led all scorers with 18 points, while teammate Justin Winston added 14 points and five rebounds. St. Bonaventure shot just 38.3 percent from the field in the loss, including a 3-for-12 effort from behind the 3-point arc, to go with 18 makes on 24 chances at the free-throw line.
 
Canisius took a 35-27 lead into the locker room at halftime thanks to a 10-0 run over the final 3:42 of the first half. In that run, Canisius got points from four different players, starting with sophomore Jordan Henderson, who knotted the game at 27-27 with 3:42 left in the opening stanza with a driving bucket. A traditional three-point play by senior Corey Brown gave the Blue and Gold a 30-27 lead with 2:52 left before intermission, a lead the Griffs would not relinquish that lead for the rest of the contest. Fritz added a bucket to stretch the Griffs' lead to 32-27 and then Johnson drained a 3-pointer with 18 seconds left in the opening frame to send Canisius to the locker room with its first halftime lead of the season.
 
In the second half, Canisius led by as many 10 points early on but the Bonnies battled back and actually made it a one-possession game at 56-54 with 1:22 left in the contest following two free-throw makes by Amadi Ikpeze. But that would end up being as close as the Bonnies would get to the Griffs down the stretch, as Johnson went 5-for-6 from the free-throw line in the game's closing 31 seconds to seal the victory for Canisius, ending the Blue and Gold's two-game losing streak to their long-time rivals.
 
Head Coach Reggie Witherspoon's Postgame Comments
"This was a battle between two long-time rivals and I am proud of the effort our guys gave out there today. Both teams had a week off, and I think that had something to do with the fact that the game was not aesthetically-pleasing, but we got it done."
 
"They can now look to this game as an example of where to put your emphasis first. That's your effort, that's the thing you can control is your effort and your energy and how hard you play."
 
"Malik [Johnson] is a "we guy" and he'll do anything for the team. Malik wants to win, and he's not happy when we lose. That's the type of effort and commitment you want from your senior point guard."
 
Game Notes
• Saturday was the 168th all-time meeting between the two schools in a series that dates back to the 1919-20 campaign. St. Bonaventure leads the series 101-67.
• In the 168 all-time meetings between these two programs, only nine games have been decided by five-points of less. Canisius is 6-3 in those nine games.
• Canisius improved to 29-19 all-time in games played at KeyBank Center.
• The 61 points for Canisius are the fewest for the team in a win under fourth-year head coach Reggie Witherspoon.
• Johnson has now scored in double-figures three times this season and 34 times in his career.
• Seven of Fritz's game-high 10 rebounds came off the offensive glass.
• Canisius' reserves have outscored its opponents' bench in all four games this year.  

Up Next
Canisius will open a stretch of four-straight games away from Buffalo on Tuesday, Nov. 26, when the Griffs play at UIC. That game is set for an 8 p.m., tip-off in Chicago, Ill. Tuesday's game will be broadcast live on ESPN+, with the radio call available through WECK Buffalo Radio (1230-AM, 100.5-FM and 102.9-FM).
 
For complete coverage of Canisius men's basketball, please follow the Griffs on social media at @Griffs_MBB on Twitter and Instagram.
 
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