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Paul McMillan IV looks at the defense in a road game at Arizona on Nov. 4, 2024.
Anthony Militello
78
Winner Canisius Canis 2-16,2-5 MAAC
67
Fairfield Fairf 7-11,3-4 MAAC
Winner
Canisius Canis
2-16,2-5 MAAC
78
Final
67
Fairfield Fairf
7-11,3-4 MAAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Canisius Canis 36 42 78
Fairfield Fairf 32 35 67

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Basketball Scores Road Win at Fairfield

Junior guard Paul McMillan IV matched a career-high with 31 points and senior Tana Kopa added 21 points after knocking down five 3-point field goals to help lead the Canisius Golden Griffins to a 78-67 road win at Fairfield in MAAC men's basketball action Saturday afternoon at Mahoney Arena in Fairfield, Conn.
 
The win, Canisius' second in its last four outings after starting the year 0-14, moved the team to 2-16 overall and 2-5 in league action. The Stags fell to 7-11 overall and 3-4 in MAAC play with the home loss.
 
McMillan IV's 31-point effort matched his career-high, set in the team's game against St. Bonaventure back on Nov. 9. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native finished the day by going 9-for-16 from the field, 2-for-3 from 3-point land and 11-for-14 from the free-throw line. He also recorded four assists, three rebounds and two steals in the victory, Canisius' first road win at Fairfield since the 2020-21 campaign. Five of Kopa's seven field goals in the win came from 3-point land, and he also grabbed five boards and recorded two blocked shots. Graduate student Jasman Sangha added 13 points, six rebounds, an assist and a block to the winning effort. For Sangha, the 13-point performance marks the 10th-straight game where he has recorded double-figures in the scoring column. Canisius shot 54.0 percent from the floor in the win, with 11 of the team's 27-made field goals coming from behind the 3-point arc. Canisius also made 13-of-17 chances from the charity stripe, as McMillan IV and Kopa were the only two Griffs to make trips to the stripe on the day.
 
For Fairfield, Jamie Bergens scored a team-high 17 points to lead four Stags in double figures. Prophet Johnson came off the bench to score 16 points for Fairfield, while Deon Perry added 12 points and three assists. Louis Bleechmore chipped in 10 points for Fairfield, which shot 39.3 percent from the field, 30.4 percent (7-for-23) from 3-point land and 76.2 percent from the free-throw line.
 
A 3-point make by sophomore Dylan Godfrey with 8:06 left to play in the first half started an 8-0 Canisius run that put the Blue and Gold up 27-19 with 5:09 left before intermission. That triple by Godfrey, one of his two makes from behind the arc on the day, not only started the Griffs' run, but it also gave Canisius a lead it would not relinquish for the remainder of the ball game.
 
Canisius led Fairfield 36-32 at the halftime break and then stretched its lead to 10 points at 43-33 thanks to a 7-1 scoring surge in the opening 2:14 of the second stanza. The Griffs led by as many as 13 points midway through the second half, but the Stags battled back and trailed by just four at 69-65 with 5:31 remaining thanks to a traditional three-point play by Bleechmore. But that would be as close as Fairfield would get down the stretch, as McMillan IV and Sangha scored on back-to-back Canisius possessions to drive the Blue and Gold's lead back to eight at 73-65 with 1:41 remaining on the clock.
 
McMillan IV helped Canisius secure the win by making 5-of-6 free-throws in the game's final 1:10, and the Griffs' defense held Fairfield without a field goal over the contest's closing 5:31.
 
HEAD COACH JIM CHRISTIAN'S POSTGAME COMMENTS  
GAME NOTES
• Saturday marked the 98th all-time meeting between Canisius and Fairfield, with the Stags leading the all-time series 56-42.
• The win serves as Canisius' first at Fairfield's Mahoney Arena, which opened prior to the 2022-23 season.
• Canisius has made 11 3-point field goals in both of the team's wins this season.
• Canisius had just two offensive rebounds in the win. This marks the second time since 2005 where the Griffs had just two offensive boards and won. The previous occasion was Feb. 10, 2019 at Saint Peter's.
• Fairfield out-rebounded the Griffs by a 32-28 count. Redshirt-sophomore Cam Palesse led Canisius with seven boards.
• McMillan IV is the first Canisius player to score 30-or more points in three games in the same season since Billy Baron did it eight times during the 2013-14 campaign.
• The 31-point performance by McMillan IV on Saturday marks the most points for a Canisius player in a MAAC road game since Jermaine Crumpton scored 32 points at Fairfield on Jan. 10, 2017.
• McMillan IV is the first Griff to make 11 free-throws in a MAAC road game since Malcolm McMillan (no relation) made 11 at Fairfield on Jan. 29, 2016.
• McMillan IV and Kopa are the first two Canisius players to score 20-or more points in a MAAC road game since Takal Molson and Isaiah Reese did it at Siena on Jan. 5, 2019.
• Kopa now has multiple 3-point field goals in 15 games this season. He is the 18th Canisius player to make multiple treys in 15-or more games in a single season.
• Sophomore Anthony Benard dished out a game-high five assists and recorded a game-high three steals. He has recorded multiple assists in 14 games, and he has registered multiple steals in six contests.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius returns home to start a three-game MAAC homestand on Thursday, Jan. 23, when the Griffs play host to Sacred Heart. Game time between the Griffs and the Pioneers is set for 7 p.m., and the contest 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 Sacred Heart game, and all remaining home Canisius basketball games, can be purchased by CLICKING HERE.
 
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