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Canisius University Athletics

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Armon Harried knocks down a jump shot in a win over Buffalo at KeyBank Center Dec. 18, 2021.
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69
Rider Rider 5-12,1-6 MAAC
70
Winner Canisius Canis 6-12,2-5 MAAC
Rider Rider
5-12,1-6 MAAC
69
Final
70
Canisius Canis
6-12,2-5 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Rider Rider 29 40 69
Canisius Canis 34 36 70

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Late Rally Leads Men’s Basketball Over Rider

Canisius junior Armon Harried's floater with 2.2 seconds left on the clock proved to be the difference, as the host Golden Griffins scored the final five points of the game in a span of 1:08 to secure a 70-69 MAAC men's basketball victory over Rider Friday night at the Koessler Athletic Center.
 
Canisius trailed Rider by four at 69-65 before senior Jordan Henderson drilled a 3-pointer from the right wing to make it a one-point game at 69-68 with 52.8 seconds remaining. On their ensuing possession, Rider was unable to grab a loose ball rebound after a missed shot, giving Canisius a chance to tie the game or take the lead with less the 20 seconds to play.
 
With the clock winding down, Harried took the ball at the free-throw line and drove down the slide of the lane before pulling up and floating in the game-winning basket with 2.2 seconds remaining. Rider took its final timeout after Harried's bucket made the score 70-69, but the Broncs were unable to get off a good shot as the final horn sounded.
 
The win, which snapped Canisius' three-game losing skid, improved the Griffs to 6-12 overall and 2-5 in MAAC play. Rider fell to 5-12 overall and 1-6 in MAAC action with its fourth-straight loss.
 
GAME RECAP
In a game that featured 15 lead changes and 10 ties, Canisius went into the intermission up 34-29 thanks to 13 first-half points from graduate student Scott Hitchon, who ended the night with a team-high 21 points for the Blue and Gold. Rider raced out of the locker room to start the second and took a 40-35 lead thanks to an 11-1 run over the span of 5:27. But that five-point lead would be the biggest advantage either team would have the rest of the way, and it was quickly erased thanks to five-straight points by Hitchon, capped by a 3-point field goal from the top of the key with 15:06 left to play that evened the score at 40-40.
 
With the game tied at 57-57, Harried put the Griffs up three at 60-57 with one of his two 3-pointers of the night with 5:06 remaining. The game remained a one-possession game until the final 1:48, when Rider senior Dwight Murray, Jr. knocked down a three-ball and then hit a pair from the free-throw line in the span of 40 seconds to give the Broncs their four-point cushion at 69-65.
 
Canisius had four players record double-digits in the scoring column, led by Hitchon's team-high 21 points. He also added a team-high six rebounds to go with an assist and a blocked shot. Senior Ahemadou Fofana added 15 points and four assists, while junior Jacco Fritz chipped in 13 points and four rebounds. Harried scored 10 points in the win for the Blue and Gold, as the Griffs shot 43.4 percent from the field and 36.0 percent from 3-point land, while turning the ball over just eight times.
 
For Rider, Murray, Jr. led all scorers with a game-high 27 points, and he also collected 11 rebounds to go with seven assists, a steal and a blocked shot. Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson tallied 12 points before fouling out for the Broncs, who shot 41.8 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from 3-point range and 61.5 percent from the charity stripe.
 
Head Coach Reggie Witherspoon's Postgame Comments
"It seems like I say this a lot, but tonight was an exceptionally hard-fought game that didn't leave a lot of room for mistakes. We had eight turnovers, [Rider] had just nine. Both teams battled really hard. As you know, it's always a difficult game against Rider. I'm just glad our guys could preserve."
 
"Our games against Rider always seem to go down to the wire. I'm not exactly sure the reason why, but lately they have. If you look at it, their largest lead was eight points, and ours was five. But that was both in the first half. There wasn't a lot of transition, fast-break basketball tonight. We had to pound it away in a half-court stuff and if you made a mistake, they'd score. I'm sure they feel the same way on their side tonight, too."
 
"I feel like we've had a couple of these, where we're down four in the last minute. I thought we had moved the ball and got some really good looks, and I know Jordan [Henderson] was frustrated because he missed a few shots tonight that he typically makes. It takes a lot to hang in there, but to his credit he stepped up and hit that three late to get us within one. And then we needed to get a stop, and fortunately we did. We had a play called, but you don't always score off the first or second option. Fortunately, [Armon Harried] was able to get to the basket, but when he got cut off by their defender, he was able to keep his presence of mind, his poise and his touch, and that gave the ball the chance to go in."
 
GAME NOTES
• Canisius and Rider have played 54 times in a series that dates back to 1929-30. Rider leads the series 38-16, but the teams have split the last 10 meetings.
• Friday's game marked the fifth time in the last eight meetings where the final score between the Griffs and Broncs was decided by one point.
• Canisius improved to 6-3 at home this season, and the team is now 3-1 this season in games decided by five points or less.
• The Griffs made nine 3-point field goals as a team in the win after making just 13 total 3-pointers in the three previous contests.
• Canisius improved to 98-13 since 2012-13 when leading with 5:00 left in regulation time.
• Hitchon has now scored 20-or more points two times this season and four times in his career.
• On a night where Canisius struggled from the free-throw line, shooting 60 percent (15-for-25) as a team, Hitchon matched a career-high with seven makes from the line on a career-high nine free-throw attempts.
 
UP NEXT
The Griffs will close out their weekend homestand on Sunday, Jan. 23, when the team plays Saint Peter's at the Koessler Athletic Center, with tip-off set for 1 p.m. This will mark the Griffs second meeting with Saint Peter's in the last six days, as the two teams squared off in Jersey City, N.J., this past Tuesday.
 
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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