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Malik Johnson makes the jump shot against Niagara on March 6, 2020 at the Koessler Athletic Center
Shawn Gillen
63
Niagara NIA 11-20, 9-11 MAAC
67
Winner Canisius CAN 12-19, 7-13 MAAC
Niagara NIA
11-20, 9-11 MAAC
63
Final
67
Canisius CAN
12-19, 7-13 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Niagara NIA 29 34 63
Canisius CAN 28 39 67

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Basketball Ends Regular Season With Win Over Niagara

Game Recap
Canisius closed out the 2019-20 regular season with a win, as the Golden Griffins posted a 67-63 victory over long-time rival Niagara Friday night in MAAC men's basketball action at the Koessler Athletic Center. The win, Canisius' second straight, moved the team to 12-19 overall and 7-13 in conference play while Niagara fell to 11-20 overall and 9-1 in league action with its second-straight loss.
 
Three Canisius players scored in double-figures in the win, led by junior Majesty Brandon, who scored a game-high 19 points to go with seven rebounds and three steals. Senior Malik Johnson, playing in his final career game on the court in the Koessler Athletic Center, chipped in 14 points, seven boards, five assists and two steals and sophomore Jordan Henderson was good for 10 points, as the Blue and Gold snapped a three-game losing streak to Niagara, which dated back to the 2017-18 campaign.
 
Niagara had four players in double-figures scoring, led by senior James Towns, who came off the bench to score 18 points on the night. Sophomore Marcus Hammond chipped in 15 points and seven rebounds, as the Purple Eagles ended the night shooting 43.1 percent from the field, 47.1 percent from 3-point land and 73.3 percent from the free-throw line. But what hurt Niagara on Friday was Canisius' defensive pressure, as the Griffs turned 14 Niagara turnovers into 18 points.
 
The Griffs trailed by one point at halftime, and went down by four at 32-28 with 19:37 after a made 3-pointer by guard Justin Roberts, but from there, the Blue and Gold went on a run, outscoring Niagara 11-0 over the game's next 3:07 to grab a 39-32 lead. In that run, Henderson scored eight-straight points for Canisius, and the scoring spurt was capped by a traditional three-point play by freshman Jacco Fritz.
 
Later in the second half, a 9-0 Canisius run over the span of 4:50 put the Griffs up 15 at 57-42 with 5:45 left on the clock. The Griffs' lead remained in double digits until the final minutes of the contest following a 3-pointer by Raheem Solomon that made the score 62-55 with 1:58 left. But the Griffs were able to seal the victory after Brandon and Johnson combined to make three free-throws in the contest's closing 18 seconds.
 
Head Coach Reggie Witherspoon's Postgame Comments
"I thought our guys defended with urgency tonight. We took care of the basketball and we rebounded it very well. Give credit to Niagara, they battled to the end and would not let us put them away."
 
"I thought our urgency defensively was pretty good the entire game. We are a team that has had four guards in uniform for the balance of the season. It's mentally and physically fatiguing to play with that level of urgency."   
 
Game Notes
• Friday marked the 187th all-time meeting between these long-time rivals, with Niagara leading the series 103-84.
• Canisius ended the home schedule with a 7-6 mark, the eighth time in the last 10 years where the Blue and Gold was .500 or better in home contests.
• Friday marked the 15th time this season Canisius played a game decided by five points-or-fewer. The Griffs are 6-9 in those 15 contests.
• Brandon has now scored in double-figures in 11-straight games, with eight of those occasions coming off the bench.
• Johnson's two steals on Friday allowed him to become just the third player in school history to record 200-or-more career steals.
• Johnson's five assists gives him 183 assists on the season, the most for a Canisius player in a single-season since Duane 'Duke' Richardson set the school record with 215 assists in 1978-79.
• Senior Corey Brown grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds in the win for the Griffs, with five boards coming off the both the offensive and defensive glass.

Up Next
Canisius open play at the 2020 Hercules Tires MAAC Men's Basketball Championship in Atlantic City, N.J., on Tuesday, March 10 when the 10th-seeded Griffs take on No. 7 seed Iona in an opening round game. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN3. Canisius' 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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