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Canisius University Athletics

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Paul McMillan IV looks to drive to the basket in a game against Mercyhurst on Nov 13, 2024.
Cameron Horning
52
Canisius Canis 0-3,0-0 MAAC
62
Winner Mercyhurst Mercy 3-1,0-0 NEC
Canisius Canis
0-3,0-0 MAAC
52
Final
62
Mercyhurst Mercy
3-1,0-0 NEC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Canisius Canis 25 27 52
Mercyhurst Mercy 29 33 62

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Second-Half Drought Foils Men’s Basketball at Mercyhurst

A 12-0 run by Mercyhurst midway through the second half proved to be the difference for the host Lakers, as Mercyhurst posted a 62-52 win over Canisius Wednesday night in non-conference men's basketball action at the MAC in Erie, Pa.
 
The win improved Mercyhurst to 3-1 on the season, while the Golden Griffins fell to 0-3 with the road loss.
 
Canisius junior Paul McMillan IV led Canisius in scoring for the third-straight game with his game-high 20 points. He also added four rebounds and three assists to his final stat line. Senior Tana Kopa scored 17 points to go with seven rebounds and a career-high four blocked shots in the losing effort. For the game, Canisius shot 37.8 percent from the field, 34.8 percent (8-for-23) from 3-point land and 83.3 percent from the free-throw line, but the Blue and Gold turned the ball over 18 times, which Mercyhurst turned into 21 points.
 
For Mercyhurst, Bernie Blunt scored 16 points and Jeff Planutis added 15 points, three rebounds and three steals to the winning effort, as Mercyhurst scored its first home victory over a Division I program. The Lakers shot 39.3 percent from the floor, made 6-of-23 3-point tries (26.1 percent) and shot 66.7 percent from the free-throw line, but ended the night outscoring the Griffs 22-16 in the paint with six second-chance points off eight offensive rebounds.
 
Canisius trailed Mercyhurst 29-25 at halftime and the Lakers stretched their lead to 37-31 just 4:45 into the second half after Planutis drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key off an offensive rebound. Moments later, the Lakers held a five-point lead at 41-36 before a 3-pointer by Kopa, one of his five makes from behind the arc on the night, and a bucket by graduate student Jasman Sangha with 11:56 left to play evened the score at 41-41. Trailing 43-41, Canisius took the lead at 44-43 on a triple by Kopa with 11:16 showing on the clock, but that 3-pointer would end up being Canisius' last field goal for the game's next 7:36, as the Lakers took control thanks to that 12-0 run that made the score 55-44 in favor of the home team. In that decisive run, Mercyhurst's Aidan Reichert scored seven of the Lakers' points, and the Griffs were charged with five turnovers.
 
HEAD COACH JIM CHRISTIAN'S POSTGAME COMMENTS  
GAME NOTES
• Wednesday was the fourth all-time meeting between the two schools, and the first since Dec. 1, 1984. Canisius leads the series with Mercyhurst by a 3-1 count.
• Canisius out-rebounded Mercyhurst 32-28 for the game. Kopa (seven rebounds) and redshirt-sophomore Cam Palesse (six rebounds) are the first Griffs with more than five boards in a game this season.
• McMillan is the first Canisius player to score 20-or more points in each of the team's first three games of the season since Larry Fogle accomplished the feat in the first three games of the 1974-75 season.
• Kopa has now hit five 3-pointers in each of the team's last two games. He is the first Canisius player with five-or more 3-point makes in back-to-back games since former Griff Kassius Robertson had five 3-pointers at Manhattan (Dec. 2, 2016) and seven treys at Monmouth (Dec. 4, 2016).
• Freshman Evan van der Plas scored his first career points in the contest. He ended the night with five points to go along with two rebounds and two assists.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius will continue its four-game road stretch in Kalamazoo, Mich., on Saturday when the Griffs take on SIEU in the second game of the Bronco Classic, hosted by Western Michigan. Game time is set for 3 p.m., and the contest will be broadcast live on WMU Bronco All-Access, with the radio call on the Golden Griffin Broadcast Network and the Varsity Sports Network APP.

SUPPORT THE GRIFFS
Support Canisius men's basketball in conjunction with the "More Than A Game" campaign. Your donation to the men's basketball program helps our student-athletes continue to be champions in the community, in the classroom and in competition. To donate, CLICK HERE.

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