Men’s Basketball Cruises to Exhibition Win

Six different Canisius players scored in double-figures, led by senior Siem Uijtendaal and his team-high 17 points, as the Golden Griffins cruised to a 97-74 exhibition game win over Toronto Metropolitan University Saturday night at the Koessler Athletic Center.

Uijtendaal's 17 points came after he shot 6-for-10 from the field, 3-for-6 from 3-point land and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line in the victory. He also grabbed three rebounds and was credited with two steals. Fellow senior Bryce Okpoh and sophomore Youri Fritz each had 14 points for Canisius, while sophomore Cam Palesse added 12 points off the bench. Junior Tre Dinkins and sophomore Tahj Staveskie each chipped in 11 points to the winning effort for the Blue and Gold, who shot 48.1 percent from the floor, 37.9 percent (11-for-29) from 3-point land and 62.5 percent from the charity strike for the contest.

Toronto Metropolitan's Aaron Rhooms led all scorers with a game-high 26, one of three Bold players to score 10-or more points in the game. Toronto Metropolitan ended the night by shooting 56.0 percent from the field and 53.8 percent from 3-point land, but turned the ball over 29 times, which Canisius turned into 32 points.

GAME RECAP
Dinkins scored the first bucket of the game just 17 seconds into the contest and his 3-pointer from the left wing 3:10 into the opening half put Canisius up 12-3. The Bold trimmed the Griffs' lead to 14-10 with 14:44 left in the opening stanza, but from there, the Griffs put their foot down, using a 20-8 run over the contest's next 6:17 to pull away for good. In that run, junior TJ Porter came off the bench and knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers, while Uijtendaal and Palesse combined to score four points each in the surge. A 3-pointer by Palesse with 10 seconds left in the first half gave the Griffs a 17-point cushion, and the Blue and Gold went into the locker room up 55-41 at intermission after the home team shot 53.8 percent from the field while knocking down 7-of-14 shots from 3-point range.

Out of the halftime break, Toronto Metropolitan scored the first four points in the opening 1:46 to cut Canisius' lead to 55-45, but Palesse ended the Griffs' scoreless draught moments later with a 3-pointer off a pass from Staveskie, who ended the night with a game-high seven assists. Canisius' offensive assault continued midway through the second half, as the Blue and Gold used an 8-0 run over the span of 1:15 to make the score 85-60. In that run, Fritz scored six of the Griffs' points, with four of those coming on fastbreak lay-ups.

Hear from @GriffsCoachRW with his thoughts after the #Griffs exhibition win. #MAACHoops pic.twitter.com/TSMqUeb2Ao
— Canisius Basketball (@Griffs_MBB) October 22, 2023

GAME NOTES
• Canisius improved to 4-0 in exhibition games under head coach Reggie Witherspoon, and the team is now 16-1 in its last 17 exhibition games.
• Eleven of the 13 Canisius players that saw time in the game scored at least one point.
• Fritz led the Griffs with seven rebounds as Canisius out-rebounded Toronto Metropolitan 39-31 for the contest.
• Fifty of Canisius' 97 points were scored in the paint.
• The Griffs ended the night with 22 assists on 38-made field goals. Sophomore Devean Williams added six assists to Canisius' winning effort.
• Forwards Xzavier Long and Joe Jones III did not dress for the exhibition game as precautionary measures. Both players have missed practice time recently with injuries.

UP NEXT
The Griffs will officially open the 120th season in program history on Nov. 8, when the team travels to play Syracuse at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. That game will tip-off at 7 p.m., and it will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra and ESPN+.

SUPPORT THE GRIFFS
Support the Canisius men's basketball team 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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Players Mentioned

#0 Tre Dinkins: G; 6' 2"; Junior

#4 Youri Fritz: F; 6' 9"; Sophomore

#25 Xzavier Long: F; 6' 7"; Junior

#12 Bryce Okpoh: F; 6' 7"; Senior

#44 Tahj Staveskie: G; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#5 Siem Uijtendaal: G; 6' 6"; Senior

#1 Devean Williams: G; 6' 3"; Sophomore

#3 Cam Palesse: G; 6' 5"; Sophomore

#2 TJ Porter: F; 6' 8"; Junior

#15 Joe Jones III: F; 6' 10"; Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

#0 Tre Dinkins
: 6' 2"; Junior
: G

#4 Youri Fritz
: 6' 9"; Sophomore
: F

#25 Xzavier Long
: 6' 7"; Junior
: F

#12 Bryce Okpoh
: 6' 7"; Senior
: F

#44 Tahj Staveskie
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: G

#5 Siem Uijtendaal
: 6' 6"; Senior
: G

#1 Devean Williams
: 6' 3"; Sophomore
: G

#3 Cam Palesse
: 6' 5"; Sophomore
: G

#2 TJ Porter
: 6' 8"; Junior
: F

#15 Joe Jones III
: 6' 10"; Graduate Student
: F