www.tomwolf.smugmug.com

Box Score

FGCU FGCU 10-4,0-0 ASUN

Canisius Canis 4-9,0-2 MAAC

FGCU FGCU

10-4,0-0 ASUN

Final

Dec. 22, 2021

Canisius Canis

4-9,0-2 MAAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	OT 1	F
FGCU FGCU	27	54	9	90
Canisius Canis	40	41	16	97

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 12/22/2021 10:40:00 PM

Men’s Basketball Battles Back to Beat FGCU in Overtime

Next Game:

Quinnipiac

1/11/2022 | 2 P.M.

Next Game

Full Schedule

Jan. 11 (Tue) / 2 P.M.

Quinnipiac

Recap
Roster

Graduate student Scott Hitchon recorded his first career double-double with a season-high 28 points to go with a career best 11 rebounds to help lead Canisius to a 97-90 overtime victory over FGCU in non-league men's basketball action Wednesday night at the Koessler Athletic Center.

All five Golden Griffin starters posted double-digits in the scoring column in the overtime victory, as Canisius improved to 4-9 on the year with its second-straight win. Hitchon ended the night by hitting 9-of-15 from the floor, including six of those baskets from 3-point land, and senior guard Jordan Henderson chipped in a season-high 19 points on the power of five makes from behind the arc. Freshman Xzavier Long was good for 16 points, senior Ahamadou Fofana added 13 points and junior Armon Harried scored 10 for the Blue and Gold as the team won its first overtime game since the 2018-19 campaign.

GAME RECAP
The Griffs opened their final non-league game of the season by shooting 46.9 percent from the field and 50 percent (8-for-16) from 3-point from 3-point range in the opening 20 minutes of play to take a 40-27 lead into the locker room at halftime. In the second half, Canisius' margin ballooned to as many as 21 points at 51-30 with 17:06 left to play before FGCU (10-4) began its comeback.

The Eagles used a 14-2 run, highlighted by eight points from graduate student Tavian Dunn-Martin, to trim Canisius' cushion to single-digits at 53-44 with 13:24 remaining in regulation time. The two teams traded baskets over the next five-plus minutes before a Matt Halvorsen 3-pointer set in motion a 14-5 stretch that gave the Eagles their first lead of the contest, 71-69, with 3:03 left to play.

Hitchon kept the Griffs in the contest, scoring five points in 30-second span to counteract a 3-pointer by Halvorson to knot the score at 74-74 with 2:15 showing on the clock.

Baskets from Dunn-Martin on consecutive trips down the floor gave FGCU a four-point cushion, 78-74, with 75 second remaining. The teams traded free throws until a miss from the free-throw line by Halvorson with 10 seconds remaining allowed the Griffs to come down the floor and hit a game-tying 3-point from junior Akrum Ahemed to knot the score at 81-81.

In overtime, Canisius tallied the first eight points of the extra frame, punctuated by a pair of free throws from Harried, to build an 89-81 advantage. Back-to-back baskets from the Eagles cut the Canisius cushion to four, only to see the Griffs out-score the Eagles 8-5 the rest of the way to secure the win.

Dunn-Martin led all scorers with 30 points for the visiting Eagles, while his teammate, Kevin Samuel, tallied 20 points and a game-best 12 rebounds for the double-double. Halvorsen pitched in 10 points to FGCU's cause as the Eagles ended the night shooting 47.3 percent from the field, 29.4 percent from 3-point range and 76.9 percent from the charity stripe.

Head Coach Reggie Witherspoon's Postgame Comments
"We knew that [FGCU] was a prolific offensive team. We watched them and they went on a 16-0 run against Mercer last weekend. They can get down in a game and then explode back because they hit threes and they have a real weapon inside in Kevin Samuel. But I'm really proud of our guys. I'm really proud they found the perseverance and dig in and play 45 minutes with limited bodies."

"In the second half, we took some quick shots, and then the pace got a little higher than we would have liked. That's the zone that [FGCU] lives in. If you're going to try and go up-and-down with them, that's where they want to be. But our guys just kept fighting. They kept fighting the entire time."

"We told our guys that they would come out in man-to-man [defense] and then they'd switch to a zone. And they'd do the same thing in the start of the second half, as well. But we just kept scoring. In overtime, we told our guys to keep the ball moving. We knew if we kept them moving, we were going to give ourselves a chance. I thought we had a few too many turnovers in the second half. In overtime, I thought we got back to getting good looks and we made some shots, and that also allowed us to get back and set our defense.

"One other note that should be made here tonight – we get to overtime tonight because Akrum Ahemed comes off the bench and shoots a three like it's a free-throw. Just ice in his veins. You can't do something like that if you're just thinking about yourself. So that means that he was locked in the whole game to what we needed as a team. We've been talking about that a lot. Just lock in to what the team needs."

"I thought our energy and commitment to getting better on Monday in practice was a real key to this win. We were coming off the win over Buffalo and they guys came back in the gym and were ready to work. Then on Tuesday, we had another good practice. Today in shoot-around, we were locked in and there was a lot energy and enthusiasm. Those types of things always give you a chance to win. And you need those types of things a little bit more when you are down guys."

Game Notes
• Wednesday's contest served as the first meeting between FGCU and Canisius.
• Canisius played in its first game to go to overtime since a 69-65 victory over Manhattan in the quarterfinals of the 2019 MAAC Men's Basketball Championship on March 8, 2019.
• All five Canisius starters scored in double-figures for the first time since Jan. 31, 2020 vs. Quinnipiac.
• The Griffs were 24-of-30 at the free-throw line, setting season highs in both free-throws made and attempted.
• Canisius shot a season-high 43.3 percent from 3-point range as it was 13-of-30 from beyond the arc on Wednesday. Hitchon and Henderson combined to make 11 of 13 3-pointers, as they were a combined 11-of-18 from downtown.
• Hitchon finished one point shy of matching his career high, set at Buffalo on Dec. 18, 2019. His 11 rebounds represented a career high in that category as he finished with double-digit boards in a game for the first time in his career.
• Henderson became the 20th player in school history to hit 100-career 3-pointers with his first make from behind the arc just 43 seconds into the contest.
• Henderson also dished out a career-high seven assists in the win. As a team, Canisius had 20 assists on 30-made field goals.
• The win was the 77th for head coach Reggie Witherspoon in his time at Canisius. He now ranks sixth all-time in program history in career coaching wins. The victory also serves as the 275th in his 20-year head coaching career.

Up Next
Canisius closes out the calendar year with a New Year's Eve contest at MAAC foe Saint Peter's. Tip off at the Yanitelli Center in Jersey City, N.J., is set for 2 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

Print Friendly Version