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Head coach Jim Christian talks to the Canisius men's basketball team during a first-half media timeout in a game against SIUE on Nov. 16, 2024.
Canisius University Athletics
76
Winner SIUE SIUE 4-2,0-0 OVC
58
Canisius Canis 0-4,0-0 MAAC
Winner
SIUE SIUE
4-2,0-0 OVC
76
Final
58
Canisius Canis
0-4,0-0 MAAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
SIUE SIUE 43 33 76
Canisius Canis 27 31 58

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

SIUE’s First-Half Run Too Much for Men’s Basketball

Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville (SIUE) went on a 27-2 run over the span of 9:39 of the first half and never looked back, as the Cougars posted a 76-58 win over Canisius in the second game of the Bronco Classic at University Arena in Kalamazoo, Mich., Saturday afternoon.
 
SIUE improved to 4-2 on the season with the victory, while the Golden Griffins fell to 0-4 on the year with the loss.
 
Trailing 2-0 just 90 seconds into the game, Canisius used a 12-0 run of its own to take an early 12-2 lead, with four of those 10 points coming from redshirt-sophomore Cam Palesse. After SIUE took a 30-second timeout, Canisius stretched its lead to 12-2 thanks to a bucket by sophomore Dylan Godfrey, but that would be the Blue and Gold's last points for 7:47 as SIUE took control of the game.
 
Nine of the Cougars' 27 points in the decisive 27-2 run came off Canisius turnovers, in a stretch where SIUE guards Ray'Sean Taylor and Brian Taylor combined to score 10 points. Brian Taylor led all scorers in the game with 23 points, while Ray'Sean Taylor added 11 points, five rebounds and seven assists to his final stat line. For the game, SIUE shot 50.0 percent from the field, highlighted by a 58.1 percent success clip in the opening half, and the Cougars also hit on 10-of-22 tries from behind the 3-point arc in the contest.
 
Canisius junior Paul McMillan IV scored a team-high 18 points in the losing cause for Canisius, which shot 40.0 percent from the floor, 28.6 percent from 3-point land and 72.7 percent from the free-throw line. Senior Tana Kopa was good for 12 points, while Palesse posted eight points and five boards. Junior Gianni Thompson chipped four points and five rebounds as well.
 
SIUE, which extended its win streak to three straight with the victory, out-rebounded Canisius by a 38-27 clip, with 10 of those 38 boards coming off the offensive glass. The Griffs ended the game with 14 turnovers after giving the ball away 10 times in the opening frame while also forcing 14 SIUE turnovers.  
 
HEAD COACH JIM CHRISTIAN'S POSTGAME COMMENTS
   
GAME NOTES
• Saturday marked the first meeting between the two schools.
• Canisius played its first game in the state of Michigan since Dec. 30, 2012 when the Griffs played at Detroit-Mercy.
• The Griffs are off to their first 0-4 start since 2021-22.
• McMillan IV's stretch of scoring 20-or more points in a game came to an end at three straight with his 18-point performance. He is the first Canisius player to score 20-plus points in the first three games of the season since Larry Fogle in 1974-75.
• Palesse has grabbed five-or more rebounds in six of the team's last eight games, dating back to the end of last season.
• Kopa has made multiple 3-point field goals in each of the Griffs' first four games this season.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius will close out its trip to Kalamazoo, Mich., on Sunday when the Griffs take on the host Western Michigan Broncos in the final game of the Bronco Classic. Game time is set for noon and the contest will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Canisius' radio call can be heard 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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