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Canisius University Athletics

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Tana Kopa takes a 3-point shot in a road game at Maryland on Nov. 19, 2024.
Keith Lucas/Sideline Media 2024
61
Canisius Canis 1-16,1-5 MAAC
82
Winner Iona Iona 6-12,3-4 MAAC
Canisius Canis
1-16,1-5 MAAC
61
Final
82
Iona Iona
6-12,3-4 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Canisius Canis 28 33 61
Iona Iona 35 47 82

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Iona Surges Past Men’s Basketball

Iona guard DeJour Reaves scored a game-high 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds while backcourt mate Adam Njie Jr. added 14 points, nine assists and six boards to help lead the Gaels to an 82-61 win over Canisius Thursday night in MAAC men's basketball action at the Hynes Center in New Rochelle, N.Y.
 
The win moved Iona to 6-12 overall and 3-4 in league play, while the Golden Griffins fell to 1-16 overall and 1-5 in MAAC play.
 
Reaves ended the night by going 12-for-20 from the field, and eight of his game-high nine rebounds came off the defensive glass. Luke Jungers came off the bench and scored 14 points, with 12 of those coming on the power of four makes from 3-point land. For the game, Iona made 11 3-point field goals and shot 45.8 percent from behind the arc, despite coming into the game shooting just 29.2 percent from long range as a team. Iona, which shot 53.2 percent from the field, highlighted by a 63.3 percent shooting clip in the game's second half, had 25 assists on 33-made field goals, as eight of the nine Gaels that played more than 7:00 in the contest recorded at least one assist.
 
For Canisius, senior Tana Kopa scored a season-high 20 points after he matched a career-high with six 3-pointers in the losing effort. Graduate student Jasman Sangha added 14 points, seven rebounds and matched a career-high with three blocks, while junior Paul McMillan IV scored 12 points and dished out three assists. Sophomore Anthony Benard chipped in eight points, grabbed five rebounds and posted four assists in the loss, as the Griffs shot 39.9 percent from the field, 34.6 percent from behind the arc and 62.5 percent from the free-throw line for the game.
 
Despite trailing 35-28 at halftime, Canisius worked its way back into the game with a 9-3 run over the first 2:56 of the second stanza to get within one at 38-37, forcing an Iona timeout. Out of that stoppage, the Gaels pulled away, outscoring the Griffs 20-1 over the next 5:31 to take a 58-38 lead with 11:12 remaining in the contest. In that scoring run, Reaves and Njie Jr. accounted for nine of the Gaels' points, and Christian Winborne knocked down a pair of 3-pointers. After the scoring surge, Iona's lead never dipped below 14 points for the remainder of the contest.
 
HEAD COACH JIM CHRISTIAN'S POSTGAME COMMENTS
   
GAME NOTES
• Thursday marked the 85th all-time meeting between Canisius and Iona in a series that dates back to the 1954-55 season. Iona leads the series 51-34.
• Canisius fell to 8-29 all-time at Iona's Hynes Center. The Griffs have not won in New Rochelle, N.Y., since the 2018-19 campaign.
• Kopa, who started the day as the MAAC's leader in 3-point field goal makes per game, extended his streak of making multiple treys in a game to four straight.
• The six makes from 3-point land by Kopa are the most for a Canisius player this season. He is the sixth different player in the MAAC to make six-or more 3-point field goals in a game this season.
• Sangha has now scored in double-figures in nine straight games, which includes all six of the team's conference contests to date.
• McMillan IV has scored 10-or more points in all 17 games this season. He is the first Griff to score in double-figures in 17-straight games to start the year since Takal Molson had 10-plus points in the first 19 games of the 2018-19 campaign.
• Redshirt-freshman Nicco DiGiulio scored his first collegiate point with a free-throw make late in the second half.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius will close out its two-game MAAC road trip at Fairfield on Saturday afternoon, with game time set for 2 p.m. The game between the Griffs and the Stags will be broadcast live on ESPN+, and the Griffs' radio call will be available through the Golden Griffin Broadcast Network on GoGriffs.com and the Varsity Network APP.
 
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