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Canisius University Athletics

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Akrum Ahemed dribbles up the floor against Cleveland State on Nov. 20, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Anthony Militello
75
Canisius Canis 5-11,1-4 MAAC
80
Winner Manhattan MC 9-4,2-2 MAAC
Canisius Canis
5-11,1-4 MAAC
75
Final
80
Manhattan MC
9-4,2-2 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Canisius Canis 28 47 75
Manhattan MC 41 39 80

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Late Push Falls Short for Men’s Basketball

Manhattan seniors Jose Perez and Samir Stewart combined to score the Jaspers' final eight points in the last minute of the game to help lift the home team to an 80-75 victory over Canisius in MAAC men's basketball action Sunday afternoon at Draddy Gymnasium in Riverdale, N.Y.
 
The Golden Griffins (5-11, 1-4 MAAC) trailed by 21 points with 9:58 remaining on the game clock before mounting a comeback effort that saw the Blue and Gold get within two points on four different occasions in the game's final 3:33. Canisius used a 23-4 run over the span of 6:11 to make the score 68-66 in favor of Manhattan, and later in the contest, a bucket by senior Malek Green off a feed from fellow senior Ahamadou Fofana made it a one-score game once again, as the Griffs trailed 74-72 with 40 seconds remaining. However, four-straight free-throw makes by Stewart and a pair of charity tosses by Perez sealed the win for Manhattan, ending the Jaspers' four-game losing streak at home to Canisius, dating back to the 2015-16 campaign.
 
GAME RECAP
Manhattan (9-4, 2-2 MAAC) jumped Canisius early, taking a 9-2 lead just 4:17 into the ball game. Perez lead the way for Manhattan in the opening frame, scoring 15 of the Jaspers' 41 points, as the home team went into the locker room up 41-28 after 20 minutes of play. In the first half, Manhattan shot 60 percent (18-for-30) from the field, with 32 of the team's 41 points coming in the paint. On the other side, Canisius shot just 39.4 percent (13-for-33) from the floor and 14.3 percent (2-for-14) from 3-point land in the opening stanza, while turning the ball over eight times.
 
In the second half, a floater off the hand of Elijah Buchanan with 9:58 left to play gave Manhattan its largest lead at 64-43. From there, Canisius began its push to get back into the game, as the Griffs scored eight-straight points, capped by a bucket by Green, to make the score 64-51.
 
A jumper by Perez ended Canisius' 8-0 scoring run, but it didn't slow the Griffs' offensive attack, as the Blue and Gold followed that basket with a 15-0 scoring run over the next 3:40, capped by an offensive rebound and a put back by junior Akrum Ahemed, that made the score 68-66 with 3:33 left to play.
 
Fofana finished the game with a team-high 15 points, with 10 of those coming after halftime. He also grabbed five rebounds and dished out three assists in the losing effort. Ahemed scored 13 points, while Green recorded 12 points and four rebounds off the bench. Graduate student Scott Hitchon added nine points to the Griffs' cause, as the Blue and Gold closed out the game shooting 45.2 percent from the field, helped by a 51.7 percent effort from the floor in the game's final 20 minutes. Canisius also out-rebounded Manhattan 30-27, helping the Griffs score 17 second-chance points against Manhattan's two.
 
Perez is the first MAAC player to score 30-or more points against the Griffs since Monmouth's George Papas had 32 points against Canisius back on Feb. 14, 2020. He went 12-for-19 from the field and connected on 9-of-12 from the free-throw line on the day while also registering three boards, three assists and a pair of steals. Stewart chipped in 11 points, with six of those coming from the free-throw line, and Josh Roberts added nine points and a game-high six rebounds to Manhattan's winning cause.
 
Head Coach Reggie Witherspoon's Postgame Comments
"I think the effort of our guys the last 10 minutes of the game really put [Manhattan] on their heels, but unfortunately, their effort had us on our heels for the first 30 minutes. We are constantly pushing our guys to learn how to persevere, and they showed some signs of that late in the game, especially because we didn't have any timeouts. But we have to get started earlier, and we have to be able to do it with discipline and poise."
 
"I don't think there was a time today at any point where we were not playing hard, we just weren't all the way locked in and we were not playing with poise. That's a bad recipe when you play at team like Manhattan because they want to pressure you and put stress on what you do from start to finish."
 
"We haven't played here in two years, so there were a bunch of guys on the floor today for us who have never experienced the full, constant pressure that Manhattan presents. We tried to explain it, we showed it to them on film, but until you're in the game, you can't replicate it. They are unique in that way. I think once we got settled and realized that we just needed to run our offense and communicate on defense, we played with some rhythm and we made shots, and then we got stops, and it kept building. This is another learning lesson for us. If you want to win games, especially road games, you need to be ready to go at the start. Sometimes, there is no time to wade into the pool, you just have to be ready to go."
 
GAME NOTES
• Sunday was the 96th all-time meeting between the two schools. Manhattan leads the series 57-39.
• Sunday was the 45th time in series history where the final score between the Griffs and Jaspers was decided by five-points or less. Manhattan leads that portion of the series, 24-21.
• The 47 second-half points for Canisius on Sunday are the most points after halftime for the Griffs since the team scored 53 second-half points in the win over Fredonia on Nov. 22.
• The Griffs finished the game with six 3-point makes, the fourth time this season the team has made six-or more 3-point field goals against MAAC opponents.
• Fofana's 15 points gives him double-figures in the scoring column in five-straight games.
• Freshman Xzavier Long scored all seven of his points in the second half, and his team-high four assists are a season high.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius will close out it three-game road swing on Tuesday, when the Griffs travel to play at Saint Peter's in Jersey City, N.J. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
 
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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