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Canisius University Athletics

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Clinton Efinda drives to the basket in the first half of a road game at Penn State on Nov. 2, 2026.
Anthony Militello
57
Canisius Canis 0-1,0-0 Metro
97
Winner Penn St. PSU 1-0,0-0 Big Ten
Canisius Canis
0-1,0-0 Metro
57
Final
97
Penn St. PSU
1-0,0-0 Big Ten
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Canisius Canis 26 31 57
Penn St. PSU 47 50 97

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Basketball Falls to Penn State in Season Opener

Penn State's Rok Prkacin scored a game-high 28 points and his teammate, Ivan Juric, posted a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds as the host Nittany Lions defeated Canisius 97-57 in the season opener for both teams Monday night at Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pa.
 
Prkacin finished the night shooting 12-of-14 from the field, and he also grabbed six boards in the win for Penn State, which out-rebounded the Golden Griffins by a 45-28 count for the game. Josh Reed and Francois Wibaut added 12 and 10 points, respectively, in the victory for the Nittany Lions, who finished the night by shooting 55.4 percent (36-for-65) from the floor, highlighted by a 61.3 percent (19-for-31) effort in the game's second half.
 
For Canisius, senior Clinton Efinda scored a team-high 13 points to go with six rebounds, while fellow senior Preist Ryan added 12 points and eight boards. Graduate students Nate Fouts and Vinny Sigona each had seven points for the Blue and Gold, with Sigona adding a team-high four assists.
 
Penn State scored the game's first five points in the opening 2:32 and never looked back, as Canisius never drew any closer than three points at 5-2 thanks to Fouts' first bucket of the night. Penn State took a 47-26 lead into the locker room at the intermission. In the second half, Prkacin scored 12-straight points to drive the Nittany Lions' lead to 66-35 with 13:05 left on the game clock.
 
Canisius shot 39.3 percent (24-for-61) from the field in the losing effort and made just 4-of-22 tries (18.2 percent) from behind the 3-point arc. Penn State made just four 3-pointers as well, but the Nittany Lions went 21-for-29 (72.4 percent) from the free-throw line on the night.


 
GAME NOTES
• Monday was the fifth all-time meeting between Canisius and Penn State, and the Nittany Lions have won all five contests.
• Canisius opened the year against a Big Ten Conference opponent for the first time since the 1984-85 campaign when the Blue and Gold played at Michigan State.
• Efinda's 13-point effort marks his sixth career game in double-figure scoring. He had 10-or more points five times in 2025-26 as a junior at UNCG.
• Five of Ryan's team-high eight rebounds came off the offensive glass.
• Junior Jerry Guerrero (six points), Sophomore Will Fowler (four points) and freshman Alex Mack (two points) all scored their first career Division I points in the game.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius will open the home portion of its 2026-27 schedule on Nov. 7, when the Griffs play host to long-time rival St. Bonaventure at the Koessler Athletic Center. The 174th all-time meeting between the two schools is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
 
Tickets for that game and all remaining Canisius home basketball games can be purchased online HERE.

SUPPORT THE GRIFFS
CLICK HERE to Support the Men's Basketball Excellence Fund

MORE THAN A GAME
Support the Canisius men's basketball program in conjunction with the "More Than A Game" campaign. Your donation to the men's basketball program helps our student-athletes continue to be champions in the community, in the classroom and in competition. To donate, CLICK HERE.

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