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Canisius University Athletics

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Takal Molson
Ali Nugent
60
Winner Canisius CAN 13-13, 10-5 MAAC
59
Monmouth MON 10-19, 9-7 MAAC
Winner
Canisius CAN
13-13, 10-5 MAAC
60
Final
59
Monmouth MON
10-19, 9-7 MAAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Canisius CAN 36 24 60
Monmouth MON 36 23 59

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Late Defensive Stand Lifts Men’s Basketball Past Monmouth

Game Recap
A late defensive stand in the game's final 6.6 seconds proved to be the difference, as the Canisius men's basketball team went on the road and scored a 60-59 win at Monmouth Friday night at OceanFirst Bank Center in West Long Branch, N.J. The win, Canisius' ninth road victory of the season, improved the Golden Griffins to 13-14 overall and 10-5 in MAAC play, while the Hawks slipped to 10-19 overall and 9-7 in league action with their third-straight loss.
 
Monmouth had the ball out of a 30-second timeout with 6.6 seconds left to play, and Canisius clinging to the 60-59 lead. The Hawks sent the ball into the post to senior forward Diago Quinn, who took a fade-away jumper on the baseline that came up short. After the rebound bounced toward mid-court, Canisius junior Malik Johnson pushed the ball forward as the final horn sounded, allowing Canisius to earn its 10th win by five points or less, the most for any team in the nation.
 
A 3-pointer by Jonathan Sanks with 3:07 left to play in the game put Canisius up 57-51, but Monmouth fought back and knotted the game at 57-57 with a 6-0 run over the game's next 1:57, capped by Quinn sinking a pair of free-throws to tie the score. On the next possession, sophomore Scott Hitchon grabbed an offensive rebound and scored a traditional three-point play with 58.2 seconds remaining to give the Blue and Gold a three-point cushion at 60-57. Monmouth trimmed the Canisius lead to one at 60-59 moments later, and out of a timeout, Canisius missed a 3-point attempt, but grabbed the offensive rebound. However, the 3-point shot never touched the rim, and the Griffs were charged with a shot-clock violation, setting up the final possession for the Hawks.
 
Monmouth led by as many as nine points with 5:51 left to play in the first half, and the Hawks took a 34-28 lead with 4:31 left before intermission, but that field goal would end up being Monmouth's last for 9:01 of game action, a span that covered the end of the first half and the start of the second frame. In that time, Canisius outscored Monmouth 15-4 to take a 43-37 lead in the opening stages of the second half.
 
Three Canisius players posted double-figures in the scoring column, led by sophomore Takal Molson, who posted a game-high 15 points while grabbing six rebounds to go with two assists, a steal and a block. Hitchon added 14 points, six boards, two assists, two steals and two blocks and Sanks chipped in 12 points, four rebounds and three assists to the winning effort, as the Griffs shot just 29.8 percent from the field, 29.4 percent from 3-point land and 72.7 percent from the free-throw line.
 
Monmouth also had three players post double-figures in the scoring column, led by sophomore Deion Hammond, who posted a team-high 14 points in the losing effort. Quinn was good for 13 points and eight rebounds, while Mustapha Traore added 10 points and eight boards for the Hawks, who shot 43.1 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from 3-point land and 64.7 percent from the free-throw line for the game. However, after shooting 55.6 percent from the field in the game's opening 20 minutes, Monmouth shot 29.2 percent (7-for-24) from the floor in the second half and made just one 3-point field goal.
 
Canisius senior Jibreel Faulkner added nine points and six rebounds off the bench for the Blue and Gold, while sophomore Jalanni White contributed four points, three rebounds, an assist and two blocked shots in the win. Monmouth won the rebounding battle 38-35, but Canisius was able to turn 17 Monmouth turnovers into 20 points en route to the victory.
 
Head Coach Reggie Witherspoon's Postgame Comments
"We've been telling our guys that you have to grind to be great. This was a grind-it-out session. Monmouth started off hot and shot it so well, it seemed like we couldn't get stops. Then our guys really locked in and took the challenge to get stops. I thought we got some pretty decent looks, but it didn't come down to that. It came down to us getting stops."
 
"That last possession was about match-ups and who we wanted on the floor. We thought they were going to go inside to Quinn, which they did. Marcale Lotts was excited for the challenge. He stood his ground and didn't let himself get backed down any further and he didn't allow Quinn to get close enough to be effective, and we got the stop."
 
"This was a total team effort. You don't think that a game that barely reaches the 60s is a team effort, because normally that means you got a lot of scoring. But tonight, the energy we needed to beat them in their building was a lot. Monmouth plays really hard. Our guys matched their intensity."
 
Game Notes
• Friday was the 13th all-time meeting between Canisius and Monmouth, with the Hawks leading the series 7-6.
• The game also marked the fifth time in series history where the final score was decided by five-points or less. Monmouth leads that portion of the series 4-1.
• Seven of Canisius' nine road wins this year have come in MAAC play.
• Canisius has now won 10-or more MAAC games in three-straight seasons and in six of the last seven years.
• Molson has recorded 10-plus points in 25 of the team's 27 games this year.
• Hitchon has posted double-figures in the scoring column in five-straight games.
• Johnson saw his string of games with seven-or more assists come to an end on Friday. He was credited with just three assists to go with three points and three rebounds.
• Sanks has made multiple 3-point field goals in 10 of the team's last 11 games.
• The win on Friday was the 250th in the head coaching career of Reggie Witherspoon.

Up Next
Canisius will play its final road game of the 2018-19 regular-season on Sunday when the team travels to meet Iona, with game time set for 1 p.m., in New Rochelle, N.Y. The contest will be broadcast live on ESPN+, and the radio call will be available on WECK-Radio Buffalo, GoGriffs.com and the TuneIn app.
 
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