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Canisius University Athletics

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Malik Johnson
Dean Bogart
62
Siena SIE 15-15, 10-7 MAAC
68
Winner Canisius CAN 14-16, 11-7 MAAC
Siena SIE
15-15, 10-7 MAAC
62
Final
68
Canisius CAN
14-16, 11-7 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Siena SIE 32 30 62
Canisius CAN 28 40 68

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men's Basketball Fights Back to Defeat Siena

Game Recap
Canisius used a 21-3 run midway through the second half to erase a 10-point deficit and never looked back, as the Golden Griffins scored a 68-62 home win over Siena on Senior Night at the Koessler Athletic Center Friday. The win, which snapped Canisius' two-game losing skid, allows the Blue and Gold to finish the regular season at 14-16 overall and 11-7 in MAAC play, while Siena fell to 15-15 overall and 10-7 in conference action.
 
Five Canisius players scored in double-figures in the win, led by sophomore Takal Molson, who posted a team-high 16 points to go along with nine rebounds. Fellow sophomore Jalanni White added 13 points, while sophomore forward Scott Hitchon posted 11 points, three boards and two blocked shots in the victory. Senior Jonathan Sanks scored 10 points in his final scheduled home game in the Koessler Athletic Center, while junior Malik Johnson scored 10 points, dished out a career-high 12 assists and grabbed nine rebounds. Canisius shot 46.6 percent from the field in the victory, highlighted by shooting 55.6 percent from the field and from 3-point land in the game's second half.
 
Siena led Canisius 48-38 with 11:11 left to play before the Griffs scored the game's next 13 points thanks to four 3-point field goals in the span of 3:52, with Hitchon draining two, Molson adding one and freshman Jordan Henderson banging one home as well. After Hitchon knocked down his second 3-pointer from the top of the key with 8:17 showing on the clock to cut Siena's lead to 48-47, Johnson gave the Blue and Gold the lead for good on the team's next trip down the floor with a driving bucket with 7:37 left in the contest. Henderson put Canisius up four with his trey from the corner, but out of the under-8 media timeout, Siena's Sloan Seymour scored a traditional three-point play with a jumper and a made free-throw to make the score 52-51 in favor of Canisius with 6:30 left.
 
That field goal by Seymour, which was Siena's first made field goal in 5:11 of game action, would be the Saints' last for the next 3:29, as Canisius outscored Siena 11-2 in that time frame to stretch its lead to 10 at 63-53. Canisius' lead ballooned to as many as 11 points with 3:11 left in the contest, but Siena was able to get within six points with less than a minute remaining, as the score read 66-60 following a bucket by Siena freshman Jalen Pickett. After a Canisius turnover, just its third of the game, with 33 seconds left, Siena had a chance to cut into the Griffs' lead, but the Saints missed a field goal and Johnson was sent to the free-throw line where he hit both charity tosses to seal the win.
 
Siena had four players score in double-figures, led by senior forward Evan Fisher, who posted 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the loss. Seymour and redshirt-senior Kevin Degnan added 12 points apiece in the losing cause, while Pickett posted 11 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Siena shot 40.6 percent from the field for the night, made just 6-of-22 tries from 3-point rand hit 4-of-5 free-throw chances, while out-rebounding the Griffs 39-34. Canisius made just six 3-pointers as well on the evening, with five of those makes coming in the second half and four of those fueling the Griffs' decisive run.
 
Head Coach Reggie Witherspoon's Postgame Comments
"I thought Siena fought hard, and it seemed like they were controlling the game, then our guys persevered and our defense turned it up a notch or two, or three. Eventually, we were able to get out into transition and convert those into lay-ups and open threes."
 
"I just really challenged our guys and reminded them that nothing was promised, and that we needed to take control of our own destiny. We needed to be more determined defensively. I thought that was really what it was going to take to get them off what they were doing. [Siena] was so poised and so alert to what they do offensively. They draw you into rotations and they find the open man very well. For us to take them off of that rhythm, we were going to be more determined. And we were able to do that."
 
Game Notes
• This was the 102nd all-time meeting between these two programs, with Siena leading the series 54-48.
• Canisius has won seven of the last 10 games against Siena, dating back to the 2014-15 season.
• The three turnovers for Canisius on Friday matches a program-record low for turnovers in a game. The last time Canisius had just three turnovers in a game prior to Friday was Jan. 17, 2018 at Siena.
• Molson has now scored in double-figures 28 times this season and 47 times in his career.
• Johnson's 12 assists are the most for a Canisius player in a game since Dec. 8, 2103 when former Griff Billy Baron had 13 assists in a home win over Siena.
• The double-double effort for Johnson on Friday stands as his first this season and the second in his career.
• The 13 points by White on Friday gives him double-figures in the scoring column in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.
• The game, which was broadcast to a national TV audience on ESPNU, was the Griffs' fifth national TV game of the season, which is tied for the most in program history. The 2013-14 Griffs also played on national TV five times.
• Prior to the start of the game, Canisius honored seniors Shaquille Evans, Jibreel Faulkner, Marcale Lotts and Sanks.

Up Next
Canisius will return to action next weekend at the 2019 MAAC Men's Basketball Championship in Albany, N.Y. Canisius' seeding will not be determined until Sunday, but Friday's win insures the Griffs will be either the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in next week's event. All MAAC Championship information will be officially posted at the end of the regular-season, which is set for Sunday afternoon.
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