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Paul McMillan IV pulls up for a jump shot in a game against Brown on Nov. 23, 204
Anthony Militello
67
Rider Rider 4-11,0-4 MAAC
85
Winner Canisius Canis 1-14,1-3 MAAC
Rider Rider
4-11,0-4 MAAC
67
Final
85
Canisius Canis
1-14,1-3 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Rider Rider 28 39 67
Canisius Canis 39 46 85

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Balanced Attack Leads Men’s Basketball to Win Over Rider

Junior guard Paul McMillan IV was one of four Canisius players to score in double-figures with a game-high 30 points as the Golden Griffins posted an 85-67 win over Rider in MAAC men's basketball action Friday night at the Koessler Athletic Center.
 
The win, Canisius' first under first-year head coach Jim Christian, ended the team's 14-game losing streak – the longest streak of its kind to start a season in program history. The loss, Rider's ninth in a row, dropped the Broncs to 4-11 overall and 0-4 in league play.
 
McMillan IV's 30 points came after he went 12-for-17 from the field, 4-for-4 from 3-point land and 2-for-3 from the free-throw line. He also grabbed a game-high seven rebounds and dished out five assists in the win. Graduate student Jasman Sangha, senior Tana Kopa and sophomore Dylan Godfrey each added 16 points to the Griffs' winning effort, as Canisius scored a season-high 85 points in the victory. Sophomore Anthony Benard dished out a career-high nine assists on the night for the Blue and Gold, as Canisius ended the contest by shooting 62.3 percent from the field, the first time the Griffs ended the game by shooting 60 percent or better from the floor since Jan. 19, 2020 when the team beat Rider at home by a score of 95-86.
 
A 23-5 run that spanned the final 3:35 of the first half and the first 1:36 of the second half proved to be the difference for Canisius, as the Griffs turned a 25-25 tie into a 48-30 lead with 18:24 left to play in regulation time. In that run, the Griffs made five 3-point field goals, including the first three buckets out of the halftime intermission. Canisius' lead never dipped below 10 points in the game's final 20 minutes of play, as the home team shot 78.3 percent from the field in the second half. That effort set a new program record for team shooting percentage in a half on the Koessler Athletic Center floor, besting the previous record of 77.3 percent, set Nov. 30, 1983, against Buffalo.
 
McMillan IV, Kopa and Godfrey combined to make 12 of the Griffs' 13 3-point field goals on the night, as Canisius shot 59.1 percent from behind the arc, the first time the team was better than 50.0 percent from long-range in a game since Dec. 1, 2023 in a home win over Quinnipiac. Additionally, Canisius out-rebounded Rider 28-27 for the game, marking just the third time this season where the Griffs out-rebounded their opponents.
 
For Rider, Zion Cruz scored a career-high 23 points in the losing effort, while Tariq Ingraham added 18 points and five rebounds. The Broncs shot 44.1 percent from the field in the contest, but made just 5-of-20 tries (25.0 percent) from behind the arc while connecting on 10-of-14 chances from the free-throw line.
 
HEAD COACH JIM CHRISTIAN'S POSTGAME COMMENTS
   
GAME NOTES
• Friday was the 60th all-time meeting between the two schools. Canisius ended its two-game losing skid in the series, which Rider leads 42-18.
• The 18-point win for Canisius matches the Griffs' largest margin of victory in their series with Rider. Canisius also defeated Rider by 18 points back on Jan. 15, 2009.
• After scoring 82 points at Sacred Heart last week, Canisius has now recorded 80-or more points in back-to-back games for the first time since Feb. 12 and Feb. 17, 2023.
• As a team, Canisius went 6-for-7 from the free-throw line in the win. Canisius has shot 80 percent or better from the free-throw line in three-straight games and nine times overall this season.
• McMillan IV, who entered the game ranked second in the MAAC and 17th in the nation in scoring average, now has 20-or more points scored in 10 games this season.
• McMillan IV's 30-point effort on Friday makes him the first Griff to record multiple games with 30-or more points scored at the Koessler Athletic Center in the same season since Billy Baron did it four times in 2013-14.
• In his first six home contests as a Griff, McMillan IV is averaging 23.8 points per game.
• Sangha extended his string of scoring in double-figures to seven-straight games with his 16 points on the night.
• Kopa has now made multiple 3-point field goals in 12 games this season, and 60 games in his collegiate career.
• Four of Godfrey's five makes from the field came from 3-point land.
• Benard's nine assists bested his previous career-high of eight, which he set Nov. 9 against St. Bonaventure and matched Nov. 23 against Brown. In his first six home dates in a Canisius uniform, he is averaging 5.2 assists per game.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius will close out its first home MAAC weekend of the 2025 calendar year on Sunday when the Griffs play host to defending MAAC champ Saint Peter's. Game time at 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.
 
Tickets for the Griffs' next home game and all remaining home contests can be purchased online by CLICKING HERE.
 
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