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Kahlil Singleton celebrates after making a 3-pointer in a home win over Merrimack on Feb. 27, 2026.
Anthony Howell
62
Merrimack Merri 20-10,16-3 MAAC
67
Winner Canisius Canis 10-20,5-14 MAAC
Merrimack Merri
20-10,16-3 MAAC
62
Final
67
Canisius Canis
10-20,5-14 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Merrimack Merri 32 30 62
Canisius Canis 29 38 67

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Team Effort Lifts Men’s Basketball to Win Over Merrimack

Junior Bryan Ndjonga scored a team-high 18 points, while fellow juniors Mike Evbagharu and Kahlil Singleton each added 17 points to help lead Canisius to a 67-62 home victory over Merrimack in MAAC men's basketball action Friday night at the Koessler Athletic Center.
 
With the win, Canisius improved to 10-20 overall and 5-14 in conference play, while Merrimack, which started the night on an eight-game win streak, fell to 20-10 overall and 16-3 in league action.
 
Ndjonga and Evbagharu teamed up to score the Golden Griffins' final eight points, and Canisius' defense held the Warriors without a field goal over the contest's final 7:00. Merrimack's final four points of the game, which came over the closing 3:26, all came from the free-throw line.
 
Trailing 60-59, Ndjonga's up-and-under lay-up with 1:58 left in regulation time gave Canisius the lead for good at 61-60. Moments later, Ndjonga sank two free-throws to push the Blue and Gold's cushion to 63-60, and after a free-throw make by Merrimack, Evbagharu knocked down two from the charity stripe to make the score 65-61 in favor of the home team with 28.3 seconds left to play.
 
Merrimack's Kevair Kennedy was able to make it a one-possession game at 65-62 with 20 seconds remaining after he made 1-of-2 from the free-throw line, but Ndjonga sealed the win for Canisius and ended the team's six-game home losing streak moments later as he connected on a pair from the stripe with 2.8 seconds remaining.
 
Canisius trailed 32-29 at the break after the Griffs shot just 39.3 percent from the floor in the game's opening 20 minutes, which included seven missed lay-ups. Merrimack scored eight of the first 12 points out of the intermission to stretch its lead to seven points at 40-33, capped by a one-handed jam in transition by Ernest Shelton, which forced the Griffs to take a 30-second timeout. The Warriors' lead never dipped below two points for the next 6:48 until a deep 3-pointer from Singleton, one of his four treys on the night, made the score 50-49 with 9:10 left. Canisius took its first lead of the second half 31 seconds later, thanks to a fastbreak lay-up by Evbagharu.
 
From that point forward, the lead changed hands three times and there were five ties until Ndjonga's bucket with 1:58 left to play. In the second half, Canisius shot 52.4 percent (11-for-21) from the field and made 2-of-3 tries from three-point range, while knocking down 14-of-15 chances from the free-throw line. Merrimack shot just 36.0 percent (9-for-25) from the floor after halftime, which included a 2-for-12 effort from behind the arc and a 10-for-15 performance from the charity stripe.
 
Ndjonga ended the night by going 6-for-15 from the field and 6-for-7 from the free-throw line, while also grabbing a team-high seven rebounds. Four of Singleton's five field goal makes in the win came from 3-point land, and Evbagharu capped the night by going 6-of-9 from the field and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line, while also pulling down five rebounds. Freshman guard Javante Edward scored all nine of his points after making three 3-pointers.
 
For Merrimack, Kennedy, the MAAC Player and Rookie of the Week in two-straight weeks entering Friday's action, scored a game-high 25 points in the loss for the Warriors. He also grabbed six boards. Tye Dorset and Shelton each had 11 points for the Warriors, while Todd Brogna chipped in 10 points and was good for a game-high eight rebounds before he fouled out of the contest. For the game, Canisius out-rebounded Merrimack 32-25, and the Griffs ended the night with 11 second-chance points against just five for Merrimack.
   
GAME NOTES
• Friday was the third all-time meeting between Canisius and Merrimack, and it marked the first time the Griffs have defeated the Warriors.
• Canisius snapped an 80-game losing streak when trailing or tied at the 5:00 mark with the victory. Prior to Friday's victory, the last time the Griffs won a game when trailing or tied with 5:00 left in regulation time was Dec. 21, 2022, when the Blue and Gold beat FGCU in overtime at home.
• The Griffs' defensive stretch of holding Merrimack to no field goals for a 7:00 span is the longest for the team this season.
• Ndjonga has scored in double-figures in all 10 of Canisius' wins this season, where he is averaging 17.0 points per game.
• Singleton's four 3-point field goals on Friday give him 85 for the year, which ties him with former Griff Tre Dinkins for sixth on the school's single-season 3-point field goals made chart. Dinkins made 85 treys in 2023-24.
• Singleton has made four-or more 3-pointers in 10 games this season.  
• Evbagharu is averaging 14.3 points per game in the Griffs' last four contests.
• Graduate student Max Jusianiec was credited with a season-high four assists in the victory.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius will close out the 2025-26 season at home Sunday when the Griffs play host to Quinnipiac. Game time is set for 1 p.m., and the contest will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
 
Prior to the game, Canisius will honor Jusianiec, graduate student Myles Wilmoth and senior King Ijeoma as part of the program's Senior Day ceremony, which will start at 12:30 p.m.
 
Tickets for the final Canisius home men's basketball game 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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