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Cam Palesse battles for a rebound in a non-league game at Robert Morris in Moon Township, Pa., on Nov. 27, 2024.
Kylee Surike
64
Canisius Canis 0-8,0-0 MAAC
72
Winner Robert Morris RM 6-2,0-0 Horizon
Canisius Canis
0-8,0-0 MAAC
64
Final
72
Robert Morris RM
6-2,0-0 Horizon
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Canisius Canis 33 31 64
Robert Morris RM 31 41 72

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Robert Morris Holds Off Men’s Basketball

Robert Morris forward Amarion Dickerson posted a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds and teammate D.J. Smith added 14 points and six boards to help lead the host Colonials to a 72-64 win over Canisius in non-conference men's basketball action at the UPMC Events Center in Moon Township, Pa., Wednesday evening.
 
Robert Morris improved to 6-2 on the year with the win, its sixth straight, while Canisius fell to 0-8 on the season.
 
Canisius sophomore Dylan Godfrey scored a season-high 18 points to lead three Golden Griffins in double-figure scoring. Fellow sophomore Anthony Benard matched his career-high with 11 points to go along with six assists and two steals, while junior Paul McMillan IV added 10 points, four rebounds and three assists. As a team, Canisius shot 41.9 percent from the field, but made just 7-of-26 shots from 3-point land, while connecting on 5-of-7 tosses from the free-throw line.
 
Canisius shot 50.0 percent (14-for-28) from the floor and 45.5 percent (5-for-11) from 3-point land in the opening 20:00 to take a 33-31 lead into the locker room at intermission, the Griffs' first halftime lead of the season. But the Colonials quickly erased that lead and jumped out to a 10-point cushion at 49-39 thanks to a 13-2 run over the span of 2:20 in the early stages of the second half. In that run, Smith and Dickerson combined to score six of Robert Morris' points before Godfrey knocked down a jumper in the paint with 12:44 remaining to make the score 49-41 in favor of the home team.
 
Trailing 52-43 with 10:07 left to play, the Griffs scored nine of the game's next 11 points to get within two at 54-52. Trailing 54-47, a 3-point field goal from senior Tana Kopa and a tip-in off an offensive rebound by redshirt-sophomore Cam Palesse with 6:55 remaining made it a one-possession game, but that would end up being as close as the Blue and Gold would come down the stretch, as Robert Morris answered with the game's next four points to stretch its lead back to 58-52 with 6:08 left to play.
 
Late in the game, Canisius kept battling and trailed by just three at 65-62 with 37 seconds on the clock, but Smith and Dickerson combined to make six straight free throws to seal the win for the Colonials.
 
Palesse led Canisius with a team-high eight rebounds in the losing effort, as Robert Morris ended the contest with a 42-31 advantage on the glass. Junior Gianni Thompson came off the bench and scored a career-high seven points for Canisius, while Kopa finished the evening with eight points after making a pair of 3-pointers to go with two steals.
 
HEAD COACH JIM CHRISTIAN'S POSTGAME COMMENTS
   
GAME NOTES
• Wednesday was the 11th all-time meeting between these two programs in a series that dates back to the 1979-80 season. Robert Morris ended its three-game losing streak in the series with the win and now leads the series 7-4.
• Canisius, which turned the ball over seven times in the first half, had just three turnovers after halftime. The Griffs outscored the Colonials 11-8 in points off turnovers.
• Godfrey has now scored in double figures three times this season. Wednesday marked the first time he had 10-or more points in a game since Nov. 9 against St. Bonaventure.
• Palesse has been Canisius' leading rebounder in five games this season.
• McMillan IV, who has scored 10-or more points in all eight games this season, has posted double figures in the scoring column in 12 of his last 13 games, dating back to last season when he played at Central Michigan.
• Benard is averaging 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game in the team's last five outings. His two steals on Wednesday give him multiple swipes in four games this season.
• Kopa's two 3-pointers on Wednesday marked the 55th time in his collegiate career that he has hit multiple treys in a game.
• Prior to the game, Canisius announced that sophomore guard William Scott Jr. suffered a lower-body injury in practice on Nov. 25 and will be out indefinitely.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius will return to action on Friday, Dec. 6, when the Griffs play host to Merrimack in the MAAC opener for both schools. Tip-off in the Koessler Athletic Center is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+. The Griffs' radio call will be available through the Golden Griffin Broadcast Network on GoGriffs.com and the Varsity Network APP.
 
The contest against Merrimack will start the Griffs' three-game homestand, which includes home games against Siena (Dec. 8) and Maine (Dec. 14). Fans in attendance at the Merrimack game will receive a special throwback replica jersey, compliments of Reimer Heating and Cooling. Tickets for the Merrimack game, and all remaining Canisius home basketball games, can be purchased by CLICKING HERE.
 
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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