Men’s Basketball Cruises to Exhibition Win Over Wheeling

BOX SCORE

Five Canisius players scored in double-figures, led by sophomore Siem Uijtendaal, who scored a game-high 18 points, and the Golden Griffins ended the day shooting 57.6 percent from the field and 50 percent (12-for-24) from 3-point range en route to a 101-64 win over Wheeling University in exhibition action Sunday afternoon at the Koessler Athletic Center.

GAME RECAP
The Griffs jumped the Cardinals right off the opening-tap, taking an early 6-0 lead, and the home team pushed its margin to 15 points at 20-5 just 6:51 into the contest on the power of four 3-point field goals in the game's opening moments. Canisius went into the locker room up 20 at 51-31 after the team shot 55.9 percent from the floor and 63.6 percent from 3-point land, knocking down 7-of-11 shots from behind the arc in the opening 20 minutes of play.

The Blue and Gold picked up right where they left off out of halftime, as Canisius scored six-straight points in the first 1:09 of the second half, capped by a turn-around jumper by senior forward Malek Green, who ended the day with 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting in 13:47 of action.

Uijtendaal scored 13 of his game-high 18 points in the second half after he went 5-for-9 from the field, with three of those makes coming from 3-point range. He also added two assists, a rebound and a steal to his final stat line in nearly 23 minutes of game action. Junior guard Akrum Ahemed scored 15 points in the win, while senior Jordan Henderson added 13 points, four assists and three boards. Freshman Xzavier Long chipped in 11 points, six rebounds, four assists and a steal for the Griffs, and junior forward Jacco Fritz scored eight points and pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds in the winning effort.

Canisius ended the day with 25 assists on 38-made field goals, and the Griffs' defense forced Wheeling into 22 turnovers. All 12 Canisius players who saw time in the game on Sunday scored at least two points, and nine players recorded at least one assist in the victory.

Head Coach Reggie Witherspoon's Postgame Comments
"This was good for us to go out, put on the uniforms and play some different. You need games like this to knock the rust off. It's been a long time since we've played an actual game with officials, and people in the stands, and I think our guys played hard."

"Obviously, there are some things we need to work on, and some things we need to correct, but all-in-all, I was pleased with the effort today. We were active defensively, and we were out in the passing lanes, making it tough on them to move the ball. I thought when the ball was moving on offense, and guys were looking to find the next open man, that really helped our shooting performance."

"I know some of our frontcourt guys weren't totally thrilled with the way they played today, but Wheeling made some of the match-ups tough for those guys with their roster make-up. Overall, this is a good starting point for us, and now we'll look at the film, clean up some of our footwork that caused fouls, and continue working toward the start of the season."

GAME NOTES
• This was the first time Canisius has played Wheeling University in men's basketball.
• Canisius improved to 15-1 in its last 16 exhibition games and the Griffs are now 3-0 in exhibition play under Witherspoon.
• The 101 points scored by Canisius are the most for the program in an exhibition game since Nov. 14, 2000, when the Griffs defeated McMaster by the score of 103-66.
• Prior to the start of Sunday's game, Canisius announced that Delveion Jackson has made the personal choice to leave the men's basketball program to pursue other opportunities.

UP NEXT
Canisius will officially open the 2021-22 regular season on the road at Miami (Fla.) on Tuesday, Nov. 9. Game time between the Griffs and the Hurricanes is set for 7:30 p.m., in Coral Gables, Fla.

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Players Mentioned

#0 Akrum Ahemed: G; 6' 5"; Junior

#10 Jacco Fritz: F; 6' 10"; Junior

#2 Malek Green: F; 6' 7"; Senior

#3 Jordan Henderson: G; 6' 5"; Senior

#5 Siem Uijtendaal: G; 6' 6"; Sophomore

#25 Xzavier Long: F; 6' 7"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#0 Akrum Ahemed
: 6' 5"; Junior
: G

#10 Jacco Fritz
: 6' 10"; Junior
: F

#2 Malek Green
: 6' 7"; Senior
: F

#3 Jordan Henderson
: 6' 5"; Senior
: G

#5 Siem Uijtendaal
: 6' 6"; Sophomore
: G

#25 Xzavier Long
: 6' 7"; Freshman
: F