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Tahj Staveskie drives to the basket in a home game against Youngstown State at the Koessler Atheltic Center Nov. 7, 2022.
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92
Winner Youngstown St. YSU 1-0,0-0 Horizon
81
Canisius Canis 0-1,0-0 MAAC
Winner
Youngstown St. YSU
1-0,0-0 Horizon
92
Final
81
Canisius Canis
0-1,0-0 MAAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Youngstown St. YSU 58 34 92
Canisius Canis 35 46 81

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Youngstown State Ruins Men’s Basketball Home Opener

The visiting Youngstown State Penguins shot 56.7 percent from the field and outscored the Canisius Golden Griffins by a 62-24 count in points in the paint en route to a 92-81 victory in men's college basketball action Monday night at the Koessler Athletic Center.
 
Five Canisius players scored in double-figures in the losing effort, led by graduate student Jamir Moultrie and redshirt-freshman Tahj Staveskie, who each scored 19 points. Moultrie ended the night by going 6-for-12 from the field and 5-for-8 from 3-point land, while Staveskie scored nine of his points on the power of three makes from behind the 3-point line. Sophomore Tre Dinkins was good for 14 points, three board and two steals in the loss for the Blue and Gold, which shot 40.6 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from behind the arc on the night.
 
Four Youngstown State players posted double-figures in the scoring column, led by Malik Green, who registered a double-double with a game-high 21 points to go with 12 rebounds. Four other Penguins grabbed five-or more rebounds in the game, as Youngstown State out-rebounded Canisius 48-26 on the night.
 
Canisius took a 32-25 lead with 9:05 left in the first half after Staveskie hit a jumper in the paint off a Youngstown State turnover. From there, Youngstown State took over, outscoring Canisius 33-3 over the final 8:42 of the opening stanza to take a 58-35 lead into the halftime break. In the second half, Canisius shot 47.1 percent from the field and made seven 3-pointers, but the Penguins held Canisius off by shooting 42.4 percent from the floor in the game's final 20 minutes of play.
 
Junior Bryce Okpoh had 12 points and eight rebounds off the bench in his Canisius debut, while graduate student Jordan Henderson added 11 points and six assists.
 
Postgame Comments from Head Coach Reggie Witherspoon
"We came out of the gates flying, but playing on emotion and adrenaline can only get you so far. When you play a team like Youngstown State, you need to stay within your system, or they'll expose you defensively. We had a few defensive breakdowns and we let it affect us at the other end of the floor and that put us in a pretty big hole."
 
"I thought we did some good things at various points through the game, but we didn't string together enough scoring runs or defensive stops. We'll get back to work tomorrow and keep working hard to get better as a team."
 
Game Notes
• The game on Monday was the eighth all-time contest between the two schools in a series that dates back to 1941. Canisius leads the series 6-2, with Youngstown State having earned both of its wins in each of the last two meetings.
• The five 3-point makes by Moultrie marks the 24th time in his career where he has connected on two-or more 3-point field goals in a game.
• Okpoh matched a career-high with eight rebounds. He previously had eight rebounds against Seattle on Jan. 23, 2020 when he was a member of Grand Canyon University.
 
Up Next
Canisius continues its four-game homestand to start the season on Saturday, Nov. 12, when the Griffs play host to long-time rival St. Bonaventure. Game time is set for 7 p.m., at the Koessler Athletic Center. Tickets are on sale now by calling the Canisius ticket office at (716) 888-TIXX, or online at GoGriffs.com.
 
Support Your Griffs
Support the Canisius men's basketball team in conjunction with the "More Than A Game" campaign. Your donation to the men's basketball program helps our student-athletes continue to be champions in the community, in the classroom and in competition. To donate, CLICK HERE.
 
For the most up-to-date information on Canisius men's basketball, follow @Griffs_MBB on Twitter and Instagram.
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