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Canisius University Athletics

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Jibreel Faulkner
Dean Bogart
70
Winner Manhattan MAN 9-17, 7-7 MAAC
65
Canisius CAN 12-14, 9-5 MAAC
Winner
Manhattan MAN
9-17, 7-7 MAAC
70
Final
65
Canisius CAN
12-14, 9-5 MAAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Manhattan MAN 34 36 70
Canisius CAN 36 29 65

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Manhattan Downs Men’s Basketball, 70-65

Game Recap
Four Manhattan players recorded double-figures and the visiting Jaspers shot 70 percent from the field and 80 percent from 3-point land in the game's second half to post a 70-65 MAAC men's basketball win over Canisius Sunday afternoon at the Koessler Athletic Center. The win, the Jaspers' fifth in their last six outings, improved Manhattan to 9-17 overall and 7-7 in league play, while the Golden Griffins, who saw their three-game win streak come to an end with the loss, fell to 12-14 overall and 9-5 in conference action.
 
Canisius trailed 62-52 with 5:19 remaining in the game before the Blue and Gold went on a 15-6 run over the span of 2:58 to cut Manhattan's led to 68-65 with 1:59 left on the clock. In that run, the Griffs got eight points from sophomore Takal Molson and a 3-pointer from junior Malik Johnson to cap the scoring spurt. However, that would be as close as the Griffs would get down the stretch, as Manhattan's Mehemiah Mack hit a jumper from just outside the paint to make the score 70-65 in favor of the visiting team with 45.6 seconds left to play. Canisius missed three shots and turned the ball over once in the final 22 seconds of the contest, allowing Manhattan to snap the Griffs' four-game win streak in the series, dating back to the 2016-17 campaign.
 
Manhattan led by as many as 11 points midway through the first half, but an 11-0 run over 4:20 allowed the Griffs to knot the game at 27-27 with 3:59 left before halftime. That scoring run was fueled by senior Jibreel Faulkner, who came off the bench to score nine of the team's 11 points. A 3-pointer by Manhattan freshman Samir Stewart gave the Jaspers a 34-33 lead with 1:14 left in the opening 20 minutes, but Canisius went into the locker room up two at 36-34 after Johnson hit a 3-pointer of his own from the top of the key as the horn sounded to signal the end of the first half. In the second half, Canisius led 42-41 after a made free-throw by senior Jonathan Sanks with 14:29 left on the clock, but Manhattan pulled away and built an 11-point lead thanks to a 19-7 run over the game's next 6:53.
 
Faulkner led all scorers with a career-high 20 points on the afternoon to go along with seven rebounds and a steal. Molson recorded 15 points, five boards, three assists and two steals, while Sanks and sophomore Scott Hitchon each added 10 points apiece. Johnson ended the day with eight points, a game-high nine assists and three steals in 40 minutes, as the Blue and Gold shot 44.4 percent from the floor, 50 percent (9-for-18) from 3-point land and 76.2 percent from the free-throw line. Canisius also out-rebounded Manhattan by a 24-20 clip.
 
Stewart paced the Manhattan attack with 13 points, eight of which came in the second half. Warren Williams chipped in 12 points and teammate Tykei Greene scored 11 points to go with four rebounds off the bench. Tyler Reynolds was good for 10 points, three assists and two steals in the win for the Jaspers, who ended the day shooting 65.1 percent from the floor, 61.5 percent from 3-point land and 54.5 percent from the charity stripe.
 
Head Coach Reggie Witherspoon's Postgame Comments
"Give Manhattan credit, they did a great job and played harder than we did. If you look at the stats on the final box score, you might be surprised to know we lost. But what's not on there is how hard [Manhattan] played. Our energy level today just wasn't good enough."
 
"Our energy wasn't there, short of the last seven minutes or so. We have to be ready to play hard for 40 minutes, every single time we step on the floor. We have to find a ways to get positive energy regardless if we're on the road or playing at home. Manhattan has won five of their last six, that's a team that came in here today and played with emotion and energy at a high level. We did not match that."
 
Game Notes
• Sunday marked the 92nd all-time meeting between Canisius and Manhattan, with the Jaspers leading the series 55-37.
• Manhattan has defeated Canisius in the Koessler Athletic Center 14 times, which is the most for any MAAC school.
• Sunday also marked the 11th time this season Canisius has played in a game decided by five-points or less. The Griffs are 9-2 in those games.
• Faulkner's seven rebounds fell one shy of matching a career-high, which he's done twice, most recently in the loss to Brown at home Jan. 8.
• Molson has now scored in double-figures in 24 of the team's 26 games this season.
• The nine assists for Johnson matches his career-high, and it marks the third time this season he's recorded nine assists in a game. The Richmond, Va., native has been credited with seven-or more assists in seven-straight games, dating back to Jan. 30 at Niagara.

Up Next
Canisius will start its final two-game road swing of the regular-season on Friday, Feb. 22, when the Griffs travel to play at Monmouth in West Long Branch, N.J. That game will tipoff at 7 p.m., and will be broadcast to a national TV audience on ESPNU. The radio call will be available on WECK-Radio Buffalo, GoGriffs.com and the TuneIn app.
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