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Tahj Staveskie fights to score a basket on the road at Toledo Dec. 10, 2022.
Anthony Militello
68
Canisius Canis 2-7,0-2 MAAC
69
Winner Toledo UT 7-3,0-0 MAC
Canisius Canis
2-7,0-2 MAAC
68
Final
69
Toledo UT
7-3,0-0 MAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Canisius Canis 29 39 68
Toledo UT 32 37 69

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Toledo Takes Down Men’s Basketball

Toledo guards RayJ Dennis and JT Schumate combined to score 49 of the Rockets' 69 points, and a last second heave by Canisius guard Tahj Staveskie came up short, as the Golden Griffins fell on the road to Toledo 69-68 Saturday afternoon at the Savage Arena in Toledo, Ohio.
 
The Rockets improved to 7-3 on the year with the victory, while Canisius slipped to 2-7 with its fifth-straight defeat.
 
Dennis scored a game-high 29 points in the win for the home team, with 15 of those points coming from the free-throw line. He also grabbed nine rebounds to go with six assists and two steals. Shumate had 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor, and he also made 7-of-10 chances from the charity stripe before he fouled out of the game. The Rockets shot 38.9 percent from the field, 20 percent (3-for-15) from 3-point land and 66.7 percent (24-for-36) from the free-throw line in the victory.
 
For Canisius, Staveskie matched a season-high with his 19 points, while graduate student Jordan Henderson added 17 points, five rebounds and four assists in 36:55 of game action. Senior Jacco Fritz posted his second-straight double-double after he scored 12 points to go with a team-high 12 rebounds. Canisius ended the contest by shooting 37.7 percent from the field, 17.4 percent (4-for-23) from 3-point range and 75.0 percent (12-for-16) from the free-throw line in the loss, and the Griffs ended the game by out-rebounding the Rockets by a 48-36 clip.
 
Toledo lead Canisius 32-24 with 2:41 left in the first half before the Blue and Gold ended the opening stanza on a 5-0 run to send the Rockets into the locker room up 32-29 at the break. A bucket by Fritz with 15:49 left in the game gave Canisius a 37-36 lead. The score would go back and forth for the next few minutes before Toledo eventually took a five-point lead at 47-42 with 10:55 remaining following a two-handed jam by Setric Millner Jr.
 
Canisius did not go away, and eventually stretched its lead to as many as six points at 55-49 with 6:07 left to play after Staveskie hit a runner in the lane. Another bucket by Staveskie later in the game put Canisius up 64-60 with 2:40 remaining, but Dennis scored the game's next seven points, with five of those coming from the charity stripe, to make the score 67-64 in favor of the home team with 0:07 left on the clock. Two free-throws by sophomore Xzavier Long got Canisius within one at 67-66 with 4.9 seconds left. Toledo and Canisius would trade free-throws in the game's closing seconds to make the score 69-68 with 3.7 seconds left.
 
Out of Canisius' final timeout, Toledo gave the ball away on the ensuing in-bounds and Staveskie was able to grab the loose ball near mid-court, but his last second toss as the final horn sounded banged off the side of the backboard and the Rockets were able to hold on the for the victory.
 
Long ended the day with six points and five rebounds for Canisius, while junior Bryce Okpoh grabbed eight boards, five of which came off the offensive glass. Despite outscoring Toledo 38-30 in the paint, the Griffs turned the ball over 21 times, which the Rockets turned into 21 points.

   
GAME NOTES
• Saturday was the sixth all-time meeting between the two programs. Toledo leads the series 5-1.
• The game featured eight lead changes, with six of those coming in the second half.
• As a team, Canisius has grabbed 10-or more offensive rebounds in seven of its nine games to date this season.
• Staveskie now has scored in double figures seven times in his first nine career games. His 19 points on Saturday matched his season-high effort, which he had against Youngstown State Nov. 7.
• Henderson's four assists led the team, the fourth time this year and the 16th time in his career where he's led the Blue and Gold in that category for a game.
• Fritz now has eight career double-doubles, the most of any active Canisius player. He has recorded 10-plus points and boards in back-to-back games for the second time in as many seasons.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius will take a week off for final exams, and then return to action on Sunday, Dec. 18, when the Griffs travel to play at Penn State. Game time is set for 12 p.m., in State College, Pa., and the contest will be broadcast live on The Big 10 Network. The radio call can be heard exclusively on GoGriffs.com.
 
For the most up-to-date information on Canisius men's basketball, follow @Griffs_MBB on Twitter and Instagram.
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