Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Canisius University Athletics

#Griffs The Official Home of the Canisius University Golden Griffins | #Griffs
Jordan Henderson drives to the basket against Niagara on the road in Lewiston, N.Y., on Jan. 13, 2022.
www.tomwolf.smugmug.com
72
Winner Canisius Canis 9-20,5-13 MAAC
67
Quinnipiac QU 12-14,7-11 MAAC
Winner
Canisius Canis
9-20,5-13 MAAC
72
Final
67
Quinnipiac QU
12-14,7-11 MAAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Canisius Canis 27 45 72
Quinnipiac QU 40 27 67

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Basketball Fights Back to Score Road Win at Quinnipiac

Senior Jordan Henderson scored 17 of his career-high 25 points after halftime to help Canisius erase a 16-point second-half deficit en route to a 72-67 road win at Quinnipiac Sunday afternoon in MAAC men's basketball action.
 
Henderson's 25 points were fueled by a 9-for-20 effort from the floor, which featured five makes from 3-point land. Junior Armon Harried posted a double-double with 12 points and a career-high 14 rebounds and fellow junior Jacco Fritz chipped in 11 points and seven boards, as the Golden Griffins snapped a four-game losing skid to move to 9-20 overall and 5-13 in league action.
 
Quinnipiac redshirt-junior Matt Balanc scored a team-high 22 points for the Bobcats, who saw their record slip to 12-14 overall and 7-11 in MAAC play with their fourth-straight loss.
 
GAME RECAP
Canisius shot just 31.3 percent (10-for-32) and turned the ball over four times in the first half, allowing the host Bobcats to take a 40-27 lead into the locker room at intermission. Out of halftime, Quinnipiac stretched its lead to 16 points at 43-27 just 17 seconds into the second half after Balanc drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key.
 
The Griffs got back into the game moments later thanks to an 11-0 run over the span of 3:05 to cut the Bobcats' cushion to five points at 43-38 with 15:51 showing on the clock. In that run, six of Canisius' points came from senior Malek Green, who ended the contest with nine points and four boards. Quinnipiac responded with a run of its own, a 9-3 spurt over the next 3:16, to push the Bobcats' cushion back to 11 points at 52-41 with 12:20 left to play.
 
Henderson brought the Griffs right back into the game by scoring 10-straight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, to make the score 58-56 in favor of the home team with 7:40 left to play. A bucket by Harried knotted the score at 58-58, which started a stretch in the game where neither team led by more than two points over the next 3:36 of game action. With the score tied at 62-62, freshman Xzavier Long put the Blue and Gold ahead for good at 64-62 with a lay-up, and with 1:36 left to play, junior Akrum Ahemed drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key off a feed from Long to give Canisius a five-point cushion at 67-62.
 
After the teams traded buckets, Quinnipiac made it a two-point affair with 15.6 seconds remaining after Tymu Chenery knocked down a three-ball in transition to make the score 69-67 in favor of the Griffs. Canisius was able to seal the victory by making three free-throws in the game's final 10 seconds, with Henderson and Harried taking care of business at the charity stripe for the Griffs.
 
Canisius ended the game by shooting 39.7 percent (27-for-68) from the floor, highlighted by a 47.2 percent effort in the second half, with five of the team's 17 second-half baskets coming from behind the 3-point line. The Griffs also out-rebounded the Bobcats by a 45-40 count, with 12 of Canisius' 45 boards coming off the offensive glass.
 
Head Coach Reggie Witherspoon's Postgame Comments
"I told the guys after the game, I am really proud of their fight and determination today. We had such great energy, on the floor and on the bench. These guys have been working together as a unit all season. Today, they worked as a group and pulled together. It was great to see."
 
"On Friday, we struggled with turnovers. We talked a lot about that leading up to today's game. We only had six turnovers, and four of those were in the first half. In the first half, we missed some shots because we weren't taking rhythm shots. We didn't have a great flow offensively. And to their credit, Quinnipiac was getting some good looks at the basket, and when they missed, they were getting offensive rebounds.
 
"In the second half, we got into a rhythm, and that just spread through us as a unit. We were much better on the offensive glass, and Jordan Henderson really got rolling. Defensively, we got some stops, and we pushed them out a bit and they were forced to take some more difficult shots, and we worked really hard to get the rebounds."
 
GAME NOTES
• Sunday was the 19th meeting in series history between Canisius and Quinnipiac. The Griffs have taken the last four meetings between the two programs and lead the series 13-6.
• The win improved Canisius to 5-4 this season in games decided by five points or less.
• Sunday marked the fifth time under head coach Reggie Witherspoon where the Griffs trailed a league opponent by 15-points or more and battled back to score a victory.
• Henderson's 25 points are the most for a Griff in a game since Malek Green had 29 points at Fairfield Feb. 19, 2021.
• Henderson's five makes from 3-point land matched his season high, and he also passed from Griff Craig Wise for 12th on the school's career 3-point field goal makes list.
• Harried's 14 rebounds are the most for a Canisius player in a game since former Griff forward Jermaine Crumpton had 16 boards at Marist Feb. 2, 2018.
• Three of Fritz's seven rebounds came off the offensive glass. Sunday marked the 35th time in his career where he's grabbed multiple offensive rebounds.
• Long's seven rebounds in the win gives him five-or more boards in seven different games this season.
 
UP NEXT
The Griffs will return home for their final two home games of the 2021-22 regular season, starting Thursday, March 3, when the Blue and Gold plays host to Marist. Game time at the Koessler Athletic Center is set for 7 p.m., and the contest will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
 
For complete coverage of Canisius men's basketball, please follow the Griffs on social media at @Griffs_MBB on Twitter and Instagram.
Print Friendly Version