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Canisius University Athletics

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Jacco Fritz drives to the basket in a home game against Niagara on Feb. 19, 2022 at the Koessler Athletic Center.
Tony Militello
65
Winner Niagara Niag 12-13,7-9 MAAC
54
Canisius Canis 8-19,4-12 MAAC
Winner
Niagara Niag
12-13,7-9 MAAC
65
Final
54
Canisius Canis
8-19,4-12 MAAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Niagara Niag 33 32 65
Canisius Canis 21 33 54

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Niagara Powers Past Men’s Basketball

Sam Iorio came off the bench and scored 17 points to go with seven rebounds, four blocks and two steals to help lead the visiting Niagara Purple Eagles to a 65-54 win over Canisius Saturday afternoon in MAAC men's basketball action at the Koessler Athletic Center.
 
The win, which give Niagara a sweep of the regular-season series between the two schools, improved the Purple Eagles to 12-13 overall and 7-9 in league play, while the Golden Griffins fell to 8-19 overall and 4-12 in MAAC action with their third-straight loss.
 
GAME RECAP
Niagara took control of the game midway through the first half on the power of an 8-0 run over the span of 2:09 that gave the Purple Eagles an 18-10 lead with 10:30 left before halftime. A 3-point field goal by Canisius senior Malek Green cut the Niagara lead to 18-14 with 9:42 remaining in the first half, but that would be as close as Canisius would get for the rest of the day, as Niagara again used an 8-0 run over the next 1:38 to push its lead to 26-14 with 7:03 showing on the game clock.
 
Niagara took a 33-21 lead into the locker room at halftime after the Purple Eagles shot 41.7 percent from the floor in the game's first half, with 26 of those 33 points coming inside the 3-point. In the second half, Niagara's lead ballooned to as many as 19 points at 52-33 with 8:46 left in regulation time after Josh Roberts found Iorio alone in the paint for a two-handed jam. Iorio finished the day by going 7-for-14 from the field, and four of his seven rebounds came off the offensive glass.
 
Niagara's Marcus Hammond added 13 points and junior Noah Thomasson chipped in 10 points, five assists and two steals as the Purple Eagles ended a two-game slide with the victory.
 
Canisius senior Jordan Henderson led the way for the Blue and Gold with 13 points, which included three makes from 3-point land. Green scored 12 points and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds, while junior Jacco Fritz scored nine points to go with three assists. Senior Ahamadou Fofana added eight points and a game-high six assists to Canisius' effort, as the Griffs ended the day shooting 37.0 percent from the field and 33.3 percent (6-for-18) from 3-point range.
 
Head Coach Reggie Witherspoon's Postgame Comments
"Not a lot to say about this one today. Give credit to Niagara. They came in here and played the way we knew they were going to play. We were just not good enough."
 
"We have some things we need to look at. There are some things we have to face as a group. All of us. We're going to look at the video and figure some things out as a group."
 
Game Notes
• Saturday was the 189th all-time meeting between the two programs. Niagara leads the series 105-84.
• The 54 points scored are the fewest for the Griffs in a league game this season.
• Henderson has scored in double-figures in four straight and five of the team's last six games.
• Fritz returned the Griffs' starting line-up for the first time since Dec. 8 at Northern Kentucky.
• Canisius was without the services of freshman forward Xzavier Long, who missed the game with an upper-body injury.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius returns to the road for the final road games of the 2021-22 regular-season next weekend, starting at Iona Friday night. Tip-off in the Hynes Center in New Rochelle, N.Y., is set for 7 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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