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Canisius University Athletics

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Paul McMillan IV moves the ball up the floor in the first half of a home game against Brown on Nov. 23, 2024.
Anthony Militello
66
Winner Siena Siena 5-5,1-1 MAAC
53
Canisius Canis 0-10,0-2 MAAC
Winner
Siena Siena
5-5,1-1 MAAC
66
Final
53
Canisius Canis
0-10,0-2 MAAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Siena Siena 24 42 66
Canisius Canis 24 29 53

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Strong Second Half Leads Siena Past Men’s Basketball

The Siena Saints shot 57.7 percent from the floor and made 6-of-12 3-point attempts in the game's second half to post a 66-53 win over Canisius in MAAC men's basketball action Sunday afternoon at the Koessler Athletic Center.
 
Siena improved to 5-5 overall and 1-1 in MAAC play with the victory, while the Golden Griffins slipped to 0-10 overall and 0-2 in league games. This marks the first time since 1938-39 that the Griffs have dropped their first 10 games to start the season.
 
Canisius junior guard Paul McMillan IV led all scorers with his game-high 22 points and he matched a season-high with four assists. Graduate student Jasman Sangha scored 11 points, grabbed four rebounds and picked up two steals for Canisius, which saw its seven-game home win streak over Siena end with the loss.
 
For Siena, guard Justice Shoats led three Saints players in double-figures in the scoring column with his team-high 18 points. Forward Brendan Coyle chipped in 17 points and a game-high nine rebounds, with five of his six made field goals coming from behind the 3-point arc. Guard Major Freeman added 14 points to Siena's winning cause, as the Saints closed out the contest by shooting 46.3 percent from the field, 35.7 percent (10-for-28) from 3-point land and 50 percent (6-for-12) from the free-throw line.
 
Trailing 16-10 midway through the first half, Canisius used a 12-0 run over the span of 5:05 to take a 22-16 lead with 3:16 left to play before intermission. In that run, Sangha and McMillan IV combined to score 10 of the Griffs' 12 points, with Sangha hitting lay-ups on back-to-back Canisius possessions to give the Blue and Gold their largest lead at six points. Siena answered that run by scoring eight of the final 10 points in the opening frame to send the teams to the locker room at halftime tied at 24-24.
 
Just 1:56 into the second half, Coyle put the Saints in the lead for good with a 3-pointer from the far corner that turned a 26-26 game into a 29-26 lead for Siena. Moments later, Siena stretched its hold to six at 32-26 thanks to a 3-point field goal by Freeman. Siena led by as many as seven points just 7:00 into the second half before McMillan IV scored four straight for Canisius to make the score 40-37 in favor of the visiting team with 12:30 showing on the clock. That would be as close as the Griffs would get for the remainder of the game, however, as a 3-point make by Coyle with 12:04 left in the contest kick-started an 8-0 Siena run over the next 1:37 that put the Saints up 11 at 48-37 with 10:33 left to play.
 
McMillan IV, who entered the game on Sunday ranked second in the MAAC in scoring average, finished the contest by going 6-for-12 from the field, 1-for-3 from 3-point land and 9-for-10 from the free-throw line in 40:00 of action. Siena out-rebounded Canisius by a 35-22 clip, with Canisius junior Gianni Thompson grabbing a team-high five boards on the day.
 
HEAD COACH JIM CHRISTIAN'S POSTGAME COMMENTS
   
GAME NOTES
• Sunday was the 113th all-time meeting between these two longtime MAAC rivals. Siena leads the series 59-54.
• As a team, Canisius shot 78.9 percent (15-for-19) from the free-throw line in the game. The Griffs, who entered the day ranked sixth in the nation in team free-throw shooting percentage, have shot 75 percent or better from the charity stripe in seven of the first 10 games of the season.
• McMillan IV has scored 20-or more points six times this season and eight times in his last 15 games, including the final five contests of the 2023-24 campaign.
• Following his season-high 14-point performance on Friday, Sangha has now scored in double-figures in back-to-back games on three occasions in his collegiate career.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius will have a week off for final exams before closing out this three-game homestand next Saturday (Dec. 14) when the Griffs play host to Maine in the team's final home non-conference game of the 2024-25 campaign. Tip-off in the Koessler Athletic Center is set for 1 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 game against Maine will be "Polish Pride Day" at the Koessler Athletic Center. Tickets for that game, and all remaining Canisius home basketball games, can be purchased by CLICKING HERE.
 
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