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Armon Harried drives to the basket in a game against Quinnipiac at the Koessler Athletic Center on Jan. 31, 2020.
Dean Bogart
64
Canisius CAN 9-17, 4-11 MAAC
66
Winner Quinnipiac QUI 12-13, 7-8 MAAC
Canisius CAN
9-17, 4-11 MAAC
64
Final
66
Quinnipiac QUI
12-13, 7-8 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Canisius CAN 39 25 64
Quinnipiac QUI 32 34 66

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Quinnipiac Holds Off Late Charge by Men’s Basketball

Game Recap
Trailing by two points late, Canisius missed two shots in the game's final 6.5 seconds to allow Quinnipiac to post a 66-64 win in MAAC men's basketball action Friday night at People's United Center in Hamden, Conn. The win ended the Bobcats' five-game losing skid, as they improved to 12-13 overall and 7-8 in league action, while the Golden Griffins fell to 9-17 overall and 4-11 in league play with their fourth-straight defeat.
 
Canisius trailed Quinnipiac by six points at 65-59 with 2:15 left to play before sophomore guard Jordan Henderson cut that margin to four points with a jumper from just outside the paint. After Quinnipiac missed a 3-point try with the shot clock winding down moments later, junior Majesty Brandon drilled a 3-point field goal from the far corner with 27.4 seconds left to play to make it a one-point game at 65-64. Canisius nearly forced a turnover in the backcourt, but Quinnipiac was able to retain possession with 18.0 seconds left on the alternating possession arrow. The Griffs were forced to foul, which they did, and Quinnipiac's Aaron Falzon made one-of-two charity tosses to give the Bobcats a two-point lead at 66-64 with 13.6 seconds remaining.
 
After Falzon missed his second free-throw chance, Canisius stormed down the floor with a chance to tie or win the game in regulation, but junior Kevin Marfo blocked the Griffs' first shot from just off the baseline. Junior Scott Hitchon was able to steal the ball back for the Griffs with time winding down, but his last-second shot attempt as the final horn sounded bounced off the side of the rim.
 
The Griffs shot 45.7 percent from the floor and 41.7 percent from 3-point land in the first half to take a 39-32 lead into the locker room at halftime. In the second half, the Griffs led by four at 54-50 after senior Corey Brown scored on an offensive-rebound put-back, but Quinnipiac erased that Canisius lead with a 13-2 run over the next 4:31, capped by a hook-shot make in the paint by Falzon that gave the host Bobcats a 63-56 advantage with 3:50 left on the clock.
 
All eight Griffs that played on Friday scored at least two points, with Brandon, Henderson and freshman Armon Harried all posting 12 points in the losing effort. Hitchon ended the night with eight points and a career-high nine rebounds for the Griffs, while Brown added four points and a season-high nine boards as well for the Blue and Gold. Senior guard Malik Johnson posted seven points, five rebounds and five assists for Canisius, as the Griffs ended the night shooting 38.6 percent from the field, 42.1 percent from 3-point land and 40 percent (2-for-5) from the free-throw line.
 
Three players recorded double-figures in the win for Quinnipiac, led by junior guard Rich Kelly, who scored a game-high 17 points, with 12 of those coming after halftime. Falzon posted 16 points for the Bobcats, while Marfo was credited with 12 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots. Quinnipiac shot 42.1 percent from the field, 32.0 percent from 3-point range and 90.9 percent from the charity stripe for the contest.
 
Head Coach Reggie Witherspoon's Postgame Comments
"I thought we had a really good game plan coming in and we executed pretty well defensively. We wanted to limit their threes, they got up a lot last time we played them. I thought we rebounded the ball pretty well against them, which we did not do last time. We were able to make some threes against their zone, but they got to the line more than we did and they made their free-throws. We just didn't have enough to finish the game tonight."
 
"We need to be able to play for extended minutes and make really good decisions so we don't undue the prior three or four minutes where we play well. Usually, when you have enough seasoned guys on the floor, you don't have to worry about guys becoming mentally fatigued on the floor. We don't always have that luxury, and at times, we made mental mistakes at critical points of the game, at both ends of the floor."
 
"We had 70 shots at the basket tonight. Very rarely will you see a team have more rebounds, and less turnovers that their opponent and still lose. It's really rare that you have more rebounds, less turnovers and make the same number of threes and still lose. I'm not sure you are going to see another game like that all year. We need to be able to lock in, play better for longer stretches and not turn it over with bad passes."
 
Game Notes
• Friday was the 15th all-time meeting between the programs, with Canisius leading the series 9-6.
• This game was the seventh in series history decided by five-points or less, with Quinnipiac winning four of those contests.
• Canisius has played 12 games this season that have been decided by five-point or less, and the team is 4-8 in those 12 contests. Seven of those eight losses have come in league play.
• Johnson became the first player in school history to distribute 150-plus assists in three straight-seasons. His 609 career assists leaves him seven shy of passing former Griff Frank Turner for first on the program's career assist chart.
• Brandon has now come off the bench and scored 10-plus points in 12 games this season, which leads the team.
• Friday's game featured nine lead changes and seven ties.
 
Up Next
Canisius will close out the weekend with a road game at Manhattan on Sunday. Tip-off at the Draddy Gymnasium is set for 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3, with the radio call 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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