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Canisius University Athletics

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Paul McMillan IV looks at the shot clock in a game at Arizona on Nov. 4, 2024.
Anthony Militello
87
Winner St. Bonaventure SBU 2-0,0-0 Atlantic 10
78
Canisius Canis 0-2,0-0 MAAC
Winner
St. Bonaventure SBU
2-0,0-0 Atlantic 10
87
Final
78
Canisius Canis
0-2,0-0 MAAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
St. Bonaventure SBU 40 47 87
Canisius Canis 34 44 78

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Basketball Drops Home Opener to St. Bonaventure

Five St. Bonaventure players scored in double-figures, led by senior Chance Moore's team-high 27, to help push the visiting Bonnies to an 87-78 win over Canisius in non-conference men's basketball action Saturday evening in front of 1,904 fans at the Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo, N.Y.
 
Canisius junior Paul McMillan IV led all scorers with his career-high 31 points in the losing effort as the Golden Griffins fell to 0-2 on the year. The Bonnies improved to 2-0 on the season with the win, the program's first victory inside the Koessler Athletic Center since 2017.
 
Moore's 27 points came after he went 9-for-13 from the field, 1-for-3 from 3-point land and a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line in 33:08 of action. Senior Melvin Council Jr., added 17 points, four rebounds and four assists to St. Bonaventure's winning cause, while junior Dasonte Bowen chipped in 12 points, four assists, a steal and a blocked shot. For the game, the Bonnies shot 53.4 percent from the field, highlighted by a 63.6 percent success clip in the game's second half, and St. Bonaventure took advantage at the free-throw line as well, making 20 of 24 tries from the charity stripe in the victory.
 
McMillan IV's 31 points came after he went 11-for-15 from the floor, 3-for-4 from behind the 3-point line and 6-for-8 from the free-throw stripe. He also grabbed three boards to go with an assist in the losing effort. Five of Kopa's six makes from the field came from 3-point land and sophomore Dylan Godfrey added 13 points after going 5-for-9 from the floor and 3-for-7 from long range. Sophomore Anthony Benard was credited with five points, a career-high eight assists and three steals in the game for Canisius, which shot 48.2 percent from the field, 43.8 percent (14-for-32) from 3-point land and 83.3 percent (10-for-12) from the charity stripe.
 
A 7-0 run by the Bonnies midway through the first half turned a 12-11 Canisius lead into an 18-12 advantage for St. Bonaventure with 12:05 left before halftime. Out of the under-12 media timeout, the Bonnies pushed their lead to eight at 20-12, but Canisius answered right back with a 7-0 run of its own, highlighted by back-to-back buckets from McMillan IV, that put Canisius down one at 20-19.
 
Trailing 25-19, Canisius hit 3-pointers on three consecutive trips down the floor to take the lead at 28-25 with 5:22 left before halftime. Two of those three-balls in that surge came off the hand of McMillan IV. Canisius led 32-29 with 2:58 left before halftime, but the Bonnies took a 40-34 lead into the locker room at halftime after St. Bonaventure outscored Canisius 11-2 in the final 2:36 of the first half.
 
In the opening minutes of the second half, a 3-point make by Benard with 16:48 left to play got Canisius within three at 43-40. Three points would be as close as the Griffs would come in the second half, however, as the Bonnies pushed their lead to as many as 15 points at 69-54 with 8:58 remaining after Moore knocked down a pair of free-throw tosses. A 3-pointer by Kopa as the shot clock expired with 1:46 cut St. Bonaventure's cushion to 80-72 before the Bonnies answered with four-straight points over the game's next 23 seconds to seal the victory for the visiting team.
 
HEAD COACH JIM CHRISTIAN'S POSTGAME COMMENTS  
GAME NOTES
• Saturday marked the 172nd all-time meeting between Canisius and St. Bonaventure in a series that dates back to 1920. The win by St. Bonaventure ended Canisius' two-game win streak in the series.
• McMillan IV is the first Canisius player to score 30-or more points in his home debut as a Griff since former Griff Malcolm McMillan (no relation) had 31 points in a home-opening win over Lehigh on Nov. 16, 2015.
• McMillan IV is the ninth Canisius player to score 31-or more points at the Koessler Athletic Center, and he's the first Griff to do that since TJ Gadsen had 31 points in a home win over Quinnipiac on Feb. 13, 2023.
• The eight assists for Benard are the most for a Canisius player in the team's home opener since Billy Baron had eight assists against South Dakota on Nov. 12, 2012.
• Saturday marked the 50th time in Kopa's collegiate career where he has made multiple 3-point field goals.
• Redshirt-sophomore Cam Palesse returned to the Griffs' starting line-up on Saturday and scored five points to go with a team-high five rebounds.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius will open a four-game road stretch on Wednesday, Nov. 13, when to Griffs travel to play at Mercyhurst in Erie, Pa. Game time is set for 7 p.m., and the contest will be broadcast live on NEC Front Row online, 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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