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Canisius University Athletics

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Scott Hitchon slams down a dunk against Buffalo Dec. 18, 2019
Marshal Filipowicz
73
Canisius CAN 5-5
82
Winner Buffalo UB
Canisius CAN
5-5
73
Final
82
Buffalo UB
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Canisius CAN 29 44 73
Buffalo UB 40 42 82

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Late Push Comes Up Short as Men’s Basketball Falls to Buffalo

Game Recap
Despite a career-high 29 points from junior Scott Hitchon and an 11-point, 10-assist effort from senior Malik Johnson, the Canisius men's basketball team lost at cross-town rival Buffalo 82-73 Wednesday night at Alumni Arena. The win moves Buffalo to 7-4 on the season, while the Golden Griffins slipped to 5-5 with the loss.
 
Canisius trailed by as many as 16 points with 13:55 left in the game before mounting a comeback charge that had the Blue and Gold down by just two points at 75-73 with 1:45 left to play after Johnson connected on a pair of free-throws. On Buffalo's ensuing possession, the Bulls stretched their margin to four at 77-73 thanks to a jumper from by Davonta Jordan with 1:20 left on the clock. After the Griffs went empty on their next trip down the floor, Canisius appeared to force a UB turnover, but the ball got knocked out-of-bounds, allowing the Bulls to retain possession. Off that in-bounds play, UB forward Jeenathan Williams drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing with the shot clock winding down to put the home team up 80-73 and end any Canisius hopes for a late comeback victory.
 
Hitchon's 29 points came after he went 10-for-15 from the field, 3-for-4 from 3-point land and 6-for-7 from the charity stripe in 24 minutes of action. Johnson's double-double effort, the third of his career, also included a game-high three steals to go with five rebounds. His second assist of the night on a Hitchon 3-pointer with 7:33 left in the first half was the 500th of his career, making him just the fourth player in school history to reach the 500-career assist milestone.
 
Junior Majesty Brandon came off the bench to score 14 points to go along with a team-high six rebounds, as the Blue and Gold ended the night being out-rebounded by Buffalo 50-33, with 21 of the Bulls' boards coming off the offensive glass. For the game, Canisius shot 37.7 percent from the field, 34.8 percent from 3-point land and 70.4 percent from the free-throw line.
 
For Buffalo, Jordan posted a team-high 26 points, as he was one of four Bulls to record double-figures in the scoring column in the victory. Ronaldo Segu came off the bench to record 14 points, while Williams added 12 and Josh Mballa chipped in 11 points and nine boards. UB shot 49.3 percent from the field, 29.2 percent from 3-point range and 50.0 percent from the free-throw line in the victory, the team's third-straight win over Canisius, dating back to the 2016-17 campaign.
 
Head Coach Reggie Witherspoon's Postgame Comments
"I give a lot of credit to [Buffalo], they came out and played hard all night. We talked in practice and before the game tonight about how rebounding and points in transition were going to be keys to winning, and to their credit, they controlled both of those aspects."
 
"We tried to change things up late in the game by going smaller and it allowed us to get back into it. We were only down by two points, but they made some key plays at critical points. Our effort in the later part of the game was better, but we still have a way to go when it comes to being assertive and playing with aggressiveness. We have to learn not to be passive out there."
 
Game Notes
• This was the 52nd all-time meeting between the two schools, with Canisius holding a 32-20 lead in the series.
• Buffalo's three-game win streak in the series is its longest since the Bulls won five straight times against the Griffs from 2004-08.
• Hitchon's 29 points are the most for a Canisius player since former Griff Jermaine Crumpton had 32 points against Niagara on Jan. 27, 2018.
• Johnson has now recorded 10-or more assists twice in his career, and he's been credited with five-or-more helpers in a game 55 times since joining the program in 2016-17.
• Johnson also extended his streak of multiple steals in a game to five with his three steals on Wednesday. He started the game ranked 17th nationally among all active Division I players with 164 steals in his time on Main Street.

Up Next
Canisius will continue its three-game road swing on Monday, Dec. 23, when the Blue and Gold opens MAAC play at Siena in Albany, N.Y. Game time at Times Union Center is set for 6 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN3. The radio call will be available through WECK Buffalo Radio (1230-AM, 100.5-FM and 102.9-FM) and GoGriffs.com.
 
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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