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Canisius University Athletics

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Jordan Henderson pulls up to shoot a 3-pointer against Monmouth at the Koessler Athletic Center on Dec. 5, 2021.
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65
Canisius Canis 7-15,3-8 MAAC
73
Winner Siena Siena 9-8,6-3 MAAC
Canisius Canis
7-15,3-8 MAAC
65
Final
73
Siena Siena
9-8,6-3 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Canisius Canis 27 38 65
Siena Siena 32 41 73

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Siena Fires Past Men’s Basketball

Siena graduate student Anthony Gaines recorded a double-double with 24 points and 13 rebounds and the host Saints shot 50 percent (30-for-60) from the field as a team en route to a 73-65 win over Canisius in MAAC men's basketball action Tuesday night at MVP Arena in Albany, N.Y.
 
Canisius senior Jordan Henderson scored 18 points, with 14 of those coming in the second half, while junior Armon Harried added 11 points, four rebounds and two assists. Freshman Xzavier Long scored eight points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds in the losing effort as the Griffs (7-15, 3-8 MAAC) dropped their third straight.
 
The win, Siena's third straight, moved the Saints to 9-8 overall and 6-3 in conference play on the season.
 
GAME RECAP
Canisius started the game hot, making its first four shot attempts to take an 8-2 lead just 2:58 into the contest. However, Siena rallied right back, scoring the game's next 10 points to take the lead at 12-8 with 14:11 left before intermission.
 
A driving lay-up by junior Akrum Ahemed with 8:58 remaining in the opening frame cut Siena's lead to 19-17, but the Saints answered with another scoring run, this time a 9-2 outburst over the next 2:21 to stretch their cushion to 28-19 with 6:16 left before halftime. Siena led Canisius 32-27 at intermission after the Saints shot 41.2 percent from the field in the game's opening 20 minutes, with 18 of those points coming in the paint.
 
Out of halftime, Canisius used a scoring run of its own – a 7-0 spurt in the span of 2:02 – to knot the game at 34-34 with 17:20 left on the clock. That would be as close as the Blue and Gold would get however, as the Saints outscored the Griffs by a 7-1 clip over the next 54 seconds to push their lead back to six at 41-35 with 15:18 left to play.
 
Midway through the second half, Siena led 49-41 with 10:54 left to play before Henderson knocked down a 3-pointer and Long scored on a hook-shot in the lane to make it a three-point contest at 49-46. But that Griffs' run was quickly muted by Siena, as the Saints scored the game's next five points, highlighted by a traditional three-point play by Gaines, to stretch the home team's margin to eight at 54-46 with 9:03 remaining.
 
Canisius shot 43.9 percent from the field and 42.1 percent (8-for-19) from 3-point land in the game, but the Blue and Gold struggled from the line, going just 7-for-14 from the charity stripe in the losing effort. Henderson's 18 points came after he went 7-for-12 from the field with four 3-point makes. He also had two rebounds and two assists. Graduate student Scott Hitchon chipped in eight points, five rebounds and two assists, while senior guard Ahamadou Fofana added six points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal.
 
Colby Rogers had 14 points in the win for Siena, while Jackson Stormo added 13 points, nine boards, three assists and three blocked shots. On the night, Siena recorded seven blocks and turned 15 Canisius turnovers into 16 points.
 
Head Coach Reggie Witherspoon's Postgame Comments
"We missed too many lay-ups, we had at least three turnovers on lay-up opportunities, and [Siena] was 24-for-42 from inside the arc. You can't do at that and expect to win a college basketball game. Add in the fact we were 7-for-14 from the foul line - we probably gave away close to 30 points tonight. When you give away points and have a bunch of empty possessions, you're just providing your opponent with a cushion."
 
"To start, we got the shots we wanted, but then we ended up missing three lay-ups before the first media timeout. I think we were more mentally fatigued than anything, but our guys did fight through it. We were 7-for-12 from three in the second half, which I think is one of our better shooting performances on the road this season. We have played six of our last eight on the road. Everyone in the league is going to deal with this eventually."
 
"I was encouraged by some of the minutes we got tonight from guys. I thought X [Xzavier Long] played hard throughout and Siem [Uijtendaal] came off the bench and gave us some good minutes. It was good to see Jordan [Henderson] get back into a rhythm shooting the ball like we know he can. We'll watch this film and get back to work because that's what we need to do."
 
GAME NOTES
• This marked the 107th all-time meeting between these two long-time rivals, with Siena holding a 57-50 lead in the series.
• Tuesday's game was originally set to be played Jan. 2, but was rescheduled due to COVID-19 protocols within the Canisius program after the holiday break.
• Henderson's 18 points are the most for him in a MAAC game this season.
• Long is the first Canisius freshman to grab double-digit rebounds in a game since teammate Jacco Fritz had 12 boards at Niagara on Feb. 12, 2020. Long has been credited with multiple rebounds in 15 of the last 16 games he's played.
• Harried has scored in double figures in four of the team's last five contests.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius will return to the Koessler Athletic Center on Friday to start a weekend homestand as the Griffs welcome Iona to town. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN3. Friday's game, which is presented by Independent Health, will be a "Blue Wave" and all fans are asked to wear Canisius blue to the game.
 
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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