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Canisius University Athletics

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Anthony Benard looks to make a pass in the first half of a home game against Sacred Heart on Jan. 4, 2026.
Anthony Militello
78
Sacred Heart SH 5-11,1-4 MAAC
82
Winner Canisius Canis 7-8,2-2 MAAC
Sacred Heart SH
5-11,1-4 MAAC
78
Final
82
Canisius Canis
7-8,2-2 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Sacred Heart SH 41 37 78
Canisius Canis 34 48 82

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Basketball Battles Back to Beat Sacred Heart

The Canisius Golden Griffins shot 56.0 percent from the field in the game's second half and knocked down 17-of-21 chances from the free-throw line to erase a seven-point halftime deficit en route to an 82-78 comeback victory over Sacred Heart in MAAC men's basketball action Sunday afternoon at the Koessler Athletic Center.
 
With the victory, Canisius improved to 7-8 overall and 2-2 in MAAC play, while Sacred Heart fell to 5-11 overall and 1-4 with its fourth-straight loss.
 
Canisius junior Bryan Ndjonga scored 15 of his career-high 19 points in the game's second half, highlighted by a stretch where he scored 11 of the Griffs' 14 points in the later stages of the game. Fellow junior Khalil Singleton scored a team-high 20 points in the win, with 13 of those coming in the game's final 20 minutes. Junior Anthony Benard came off the bench and matched a career-high with 14 points to go with four assists and two steals, while graduate student Myles Wilmoth chipped in 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds, as the Griffs scored their first back-to-back MAAC regular season wins since Feb. 23 and March 1, 2024.
 
Sacred Heart's Yann Farell scored a game-high 22 points for the Pioneers, while Dashon Gittens chipped in 15 points and three steals. Jaden Slaughter was good for 11 points in the losing effort for Sacred Heart, which ended the game by shooting 46.9 percent from the floor, 29.6 percent from 3-point range and 85.7 percent from the free-throw line.
 
The Pioneers came out of the gate hot, scoring the game's first seven points and eventually holding a 22-12 lead over the Griffs with 12:57 left before the halftime break. A 3-point field goal by Wilmoth with 1:13 left in the opening frame got Canisius within two points at 36-34, but Sacred Heart finished the opening stanza with a 5-0 run to take a 41-34 lead into the locker room at halftime.
 
Trailing 43-34 just 19 seconds into the second half, Canisius used a 6-0 run over the game's next 1:24 to trim the Pioneers' lead to 43-40 with 17:58 left to play. Canisius kept battling and eventually tied the game at 54-54 with 11:36 left after senior King Ijeoma scored off an assist from Singleton. But Sacred Heart responded and continued to hold the lead until 5:08 left in the contest.
 
With the score tied at 64-64, Singleton's 3-pointer from the wing gave the Blue and Gold their first lead of the game at 67-64 with 5:08 remaining. Over the next 3:14 of game action, neither team would lead by more than three points, and the game featured three ties. With the score knotted at 75-75, a tip-in by Wilmoth and then a turn-around jumper in the paint by Ndjonga pushed the Griffs' lead to four at 79-75 with 48 seconds left to play. A traditional three-point play from Gittens with 29 seconds left made the score 79-78 in favor of the Griffs, but junior Mike Evbagharu and Singleton combined to make three-of-four free-throws in the closing 17 seconds to seal the victory for the home team.
 
Canisius ended the game with a 28-26 advantage on the glass, and the Griffs outscored the Pioneers 17-13 in fastbreak points. The Griffs were able to turn 12 Sacred Heart turnovers into 13 points, and the Blue and Gold took better care of the basketball in the second half, committing just three turnovers after giving the ball away eight times in the contest's opening 20 minutes.


 
GAME NOTES
• Sunday was the third all-time meeting between the two schools and it marked the first time Canisius has beaten Sacred Heart.
• For the game, Canisius went 31-for-37 from the free-throw line, with 17 of those makes coming after halftime. Sunday marks the first time the Griffs have made 30-or more free-throws in a game since Jan. 14, 2018 in a win over Monmouth.
• Just two days after making a career-high nine 3-point field goals, Singleton went a perfect 11-for-11 from the free-throw line.
• Graduate student Marcus Niblack scored all eight of his points in the second half, with six of those coming from the free-throw line.
• Benard led the Griffs with his four assists in the win. He has led the team in assists 22 times in his Canisius career.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius will head on the road for its next two MAAC games, starting Jan. 9 at Manhattan. Tip-off at Draddy Gymnasium in Riverdale, N.Y., is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
 
Tickets for all Canisius home men's basketball games can be purchased online by CLICKING HERE. Tickets can also be purchased by phone by calling (716) 888-TIXX or in person at the Canisius ticket office, located in the Koessler Athletic Center lobby, during normal business hours and 90 minutes before tip-off on game day.
 
SUPPORT THE GRIFFS
CLICK HERE to Support the Men's Basketball Excellence Fund

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