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Gianni Thompson works in the paint looking to score in the second half of a home game against Niagara on Jan. 31, 2025.
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60
Canisius Canis 2-22,2-11 MAAC
71
Winner Niagara Niag 10-14,5-8 MAAC
Canisius Canis
2-22,2-11 MAAC
60
Final
71
Niagara Niag
10-14,5-8 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Canisius Canis 31 29 60
Niagara Niag 36 35 71

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Niagara Knocks Off Men’s Basketball

Niagara's Josiah Davis scored 15 of his game-high 24 points in the second half and the host Purple Eagles turned 15 Canisius turnovers into 13 points on the night, as Niagara scored a 71-60 victory over the Golden Griffins in MAAC men's basketball action Wednesday night at the Gallagher Center in Lewiston, N.Y.
 
The win, Niagara's second straight, improved the Purple Eagles to 10-14 overall and 5-8 in MAAC play, while Canisius fell to 2-22 overall and 2-11 in league games with its sixth-straight loss.
 
Davis was one of three Niagara players to post double-figures in the scoring column in the victory, and he also added four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a blocked shot to his final stat line for the night. Five of Davis' eight makes from the field came in the game's second half, and he also knocked down 5-of-6 tries from the free-throw line in the game's second stanza. Jhaylon Martinez added 13 points and Jaeden Marshall scored 11 points for Niagara, which shot 47.1 percent from the field in the win, despite making just 3-of-22 shots from behind the 3-point arc.
 
The Griffs were led offensively by junior Gianni Thompson, who posted a career-high 17 points in the loss after he went 6-for-7 from the field, with four of those makes coming from behind the 3-point line. Fellow junior Paul McMillan IV added 16 points, five rebounds, two assists and steal to the effort, while redshirt-junior Cam Palesse recorded his second career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. For the game, Canisius shot 48.9 percent from the floor, made just 4-of-13 tries from behind the arc and hit on 10-of-14 chances from the free-throw line, but the team's 15 turnovers, which Niagara turned into 13 points, proved to be the difference.
 
In the first half, Canisius and Niagara combined to shoot 51.1 percent from the field, and neither team led by more than six points in the game's opening stanza, as the host Purple Eagles took a 36-31 lead into the locker room at intermission. Out of the break, Niagara scored 10 of the second half's first 15 points to take a 46-36 lead with 14:19 left in the ball game. All 10 of those points came from Martinez (six) and Davis (four).
 
Trailing 52-44 midway through the second half, Palesse trimmed the Niagara lead to 52-47 thanks to a traditional three-point play. Moments later, a dunk by Thompson put the Blue and Gold down three at 52-49 with 8:26 remaining. Another traditional three-point play by Palesse, this one with 6:44 left in the contest, got the Griffs within two at 54-52, but Davis and Marshall scored on back-to-back Purple Eagle possessions to push the home team's cushion back to six at 58-52.
 
Canisius kept fighting and trailed 58-54 with 5:10 left to play after sophomore Dylan Godfrey hit a jumper in the paint, but Niagara answered on its next trip down the floor, as Marshall stripped a 3-pointer from just in front of the Niagara bench to drive the lead back to seven points at 61-54.
 
Godfrey ended the night with six points and six rebounds for the Griffs, while senior Tana Kopa chipped in six points and four rebounds.
 
HEAD COACH JIM CHRISTIAN'S POSTGAME COMMENTS
   
GAME NOTES
• Wednesday was the 195th all-time meeting between the two long-time rivals. Niagara leads the series, 109-86.
• With the win, Niagara swept Canisius in the regular-season series for the first time since 2021-22.
• Canisius has now dropped six straight to Niagara at the Gallagher Center, dating back to 2019.
• Thompson has more 3-point makes on Wednesday (four) than he had in the previous 19 games of the season combined.
• McMillan has now scored in double figures in all 24 games this season and in 28 of his last 30 games, dating back to last season.
• Palesse's 10 rebounds make him the only player on this year's roster to grab double-digit rebounds in a game on multiple occasions. He also had 11 rebounds in a home loss to Merrimack on Dec. 6.
• Palesse, who recorded his first career double-double last season, is the second Canisius player with a double-double performance this year. Graduate student Jasman Sangha had a double-double in the loss to Merrimack on Dec. 6.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius will return home for the first time in the month of February on Sunday, when the Griffs play host to Mount St. Mary's at the Koessler Athletic Center. Game time is set for 1 p.m., and the contest will be broadcast live on ESPN+. The Canisius radio call will be available at GoGriffs.com through the Golden Griffin Broadcast Network, on the Varsity Network APP and on X through the @GoGriffs handle.

Tickets for the Mount St. Mary's game, and all remaining home Canisius men's basketball contests, can be purchased by calling the Canisius ticket office at (716) 888-TIXX, or online by CLICKING HERE.
 
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