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Canisius University Athletics

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Malik Johnson
www.tomwolf.smugmug.com
55
Canisius Canis 8-12,3-6 MAAC
63
Winner Fairfield Fairf 8-11,4-4 MAAC
Canisius Canis
8-12,3-6 MAAC
55
Final
63
Fairfield Fairf
8-11,4-4 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Canisius Canis 30 25 55
Fairfield Fairf 28 35 63

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Fairfield Storms Back to Beat Men’s Basketball

Game Recap
The host Fairfield Stags outscored Canisius 17-7 in the game's final 7:56 to earn a 63-55 win over the Golden Griffins in MAAC men's basketball action Sunday afternoon at Alumni Hall in Fairfield, Conn. The win moves Fairfield to 8-11 overall and 4-4 in conference play, while the Griffs slipped to 8-12 overall and 3-6 in conference action with their second-straight loss.
 
A lay-up by freshman Armon Harried put Canisius up 48-46 with 9:19 left to play, but Fairfield pulled away with a 9-0 run over the game's next 2:05 that put the contest out of reach for the Blue and Gold. In that decisive run, Fairfield guard Jesus Cruz, who came off the bench to score a game-high 21 points, scored four points, with all of those points coming from the free-throw line.
 
Canisius freshman Jacco Fritz scored off an offensive rebound with 5:26 left to play to cut Fairfield's cushion to five at 55-50, but the Stags scored the game's next four points, capped by a pair of free-throws by Landon Taliaferro, to make the score 59-50 with 3:29 showing on the clock.
 
Cruz and Taliaferro combined to score 37 of Fairfield's 63 points in the victory, as the Stags ended the day by shooting 38.9 percent from the field, 16.7 percent from 3-point land and 90.5 percent from the free-throw line, hitting 19-of-21 charity tosses for the game. Fairfield also dominated the rebounding battle, as the Stags out-rebounded Canisius 41-27 for the day, with 15 of those 41 boards coming off the offensive glass.
 
For Canisius, senior Malik Johnson scored a team-high 17 points to go with five rebounds, three assists and three steals in 40 minutes of action. Fritz chipped in nine points, five boards and two blocks, while sophomore Jordan Henderson added eight points, two assists and two steals. Canisius shot 40.4 percent from the floor and 25.0 percent from 3-point land in the loss, while hitting 5-of-6 chances from the free-throw line on the day.
 
Head Coach Reggie Witherspoon's Postgame Comments
"Fairfield came in and did a great job on the glass. They had complete control of the rebounding battle and that just wore us down. We didn't have a lot of turnovers today, but most of our turnovers were in live-ball situations, which makes it so hard to get back on defense and get set. We were not able to overcome the offensive rebounds, the second-chance points and the live-ball turnovers. Those are the little things we talk about as a team all the time, and those things ended up being the difference again today."
 
Game Notes
• Sunday's game was the 88th meeting between the two schools, and Fairfield leads the series 49-39.
• The Stags swept the regular-season series from Canisius for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
• Fairfield finished the day with a 21-8 advantage in second-chance points.
• Canisius matched a season-high with six blocked shots.
• Malik Johnson made his 119th career start on Sunday, which sets a new program record. The previous record of 118 career starts was held by former Griff and Canisius Hall of Fame Micheal Meeks.
• Johnson's 17 points gives him double-figures in the scoring column 13 times this season and 44 times in his career.
• Two of Henderson's three made field goals on Sunday were from 3-point land. He has made 10 3-pointers in the team's last three games.

Up Next
Canisius returns home on Friday, Jan 31, when the team plays host to Quinnipiac. Game time is set for 7 p.m., and the contest will be broadcast live on ESPN+. 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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