Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Canisius University Athletics

#Griffs The Official Home of the Canisius University Golden Griffins | #Griffs
Siem Uijtendaal February 3, 2023 at Niagara inside the Gallagher Center
Ken Morey
73
Canisius Canis 5-16,3-9 MAAC
76
Winner Niagara Niag 12-9,7-5 MAAC
Canisius Canis
5-16,3-9 MAAC
73
Final
76
Niagara Niag
12-9,7-5 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Canisius Canis 41 32 73
Niagara Niag 37 39 76

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Niagara Races Back to Defeat Men’s Basketball

Niagara guards Aaron Gray and Noah Thomasson combined to score 50 of their team's 76 points, with the 12 of those coming in the game's final 6:12, as the host Purple Eagles defeated Canisius 76-73 Friday night in MAAC men's basketball action at the Gallagher Center in Lewiston, N.Y. The win, Niagara's third straight, improved the team to 12-9 overall and 7-5 in league play, while the Golden Griffins slipped to 5-16 overall and 3-9 in MAAC action with their fourth-straight defeat.
 
A 3-point field goal by senior Jacco Fritz with 6:39 left in the game put Canisius up 66-60, but that would be the Blue and Gold's last score for the next 5:47 of game action, as Niagara erased the Griffs' cushion thanks to a 12-0 run over the span of 5:13. Niagara's scoring push was started after Gray hit a 3-pointer from the right corner with 6:12 left to play, and following a bucket by Thomasson, Gray gave the home team the lead for good at 67-66 with a baseline dunk as the shot clock expired with 3:11 remaining on the clock. In the game's final 4:00, Niagara stretched its lead to as many as six points on two different occasions before junior Siem Uijtendaal hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the contests' final score.
 
Gray posted a game-high 27 points after he shot 9-for-17 from the field, 4-for-9 from 3-point land and 5-for-7 from the free-throw line. He also grabbed six rebounds and recorded a blocked shot. Thomasson, the MAAC's leading scorer, added 23 points after shooting 8-for-15 from the floor, 4-for-6 from 3-point land and 3-for-5 from the free-throw line. He also had five rebounds, five assists and a steal. Sam Iorio and Bryce Moore added six points apiece to the winning effort for Niagara, which shot 42.4 percent from the field for the game, and 41.7 percent (10-for-24) from 3-point range.
 
Canisius graduate student Jordan Henderson led the Griffs with 15 points, with nine of those coming off three made 3-pointers. Uijtendaal added 14 points off the bench, while Fritz was good for 11 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Redshirt-freshman Tahj Staveskie chipped in 11 points, six rebounds and three assists in the loss, as the Griffs shot 45.9 percent from the floor, 34.6 percent (9-for-26) from behind the 3-point line and 66.7 percent from the charity stripe.
 
Graduate student George Maslennikov and sophomore Xzavier Long each had seven rebounds on the night for the Griffs, who were out-rebounded by Niagara by a 35-33 count. Canisius outscored Niagara 32-30 in the paint, but the Purple Eagles held a 12-8 advantage in second-chance points.
 
HEAD COACH REGGIE WITHERSPOON'S POSTGAME COMMENTS
"This was a hard-fought game and we just came up short at the end. We had some good looks late, but we didn't knock them down. We missed free-throws, we missed box outs. We played hard, especially with a short-handed group, but not hard enough."
 
GAME NOTES
• Friday's game was the 190th meeting in series history and it was the 33rd time the two rivals met at the Gallagher Center.
• Six of Canisius' 12 MAAC games this season have been decided by five points or fewer.
• With his first 3-pointer of the game, Henderson moved past former Griffs guard Billy Baron for fifth-place on the school's all-time 3-point field goals made list.
• Fritz has now recorded multiple assists in eight of the team's last 10 games.
• Canisius was without the services of junior Bryce Okpoh (hip) and sophomore TJ Gadsden (upper-body injury). Freshman Youri Fritz remains listed as "week-to-week" with a knee injury.
 
UP NEXT
The Griffs will travel to play at Marist on Sunday, Feb. 5. Game time at the McCann Arena in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., is set for 2 p.m., and the contest will be broadcast live on ESPN+. The radio call can be found exclusively on GoGriffs.com.
 
For the most up-to-date information on Canisius men's basketball, follow @Griffs_MBB on Twitter and Instagram.
Print Friendly Version