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Siem Uijtendaal pulls up for a 3-point field goal attempt in a home game against D'Youville at the Koessler Athletic Center on Nov. 20, 2023.
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76
Winner Canisius Canis 3-2,0-0 MAAC
67
Wofford WOF 2-3,0-0 SoCon
Winner
Canisius Canis
3-2,0-0 MAAC
76
Final
67
Wofford WOF
2-3,0-0 SoCon
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Canisius Canis 36 40 76
Wofford WOF 21 46 67

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Basketball Opens Northern Classic with Win over Wofford

Canisius senior Siem Uijtendaal led four Golden Griffins in double-figures with his team-high 19 points as the Blue and Gold scored a 76-67 win over Wofford Friday evening on the first day of the 2023 Northern Classic at Bell Place Arena in Laval, Quebec.
 
The win, Canisius' second straight, improved the team to 3-2 on the season, while Wofford fell to 2-3 with its third-straight loss.
 
Uijtendaal finished the game by going 5-for-16 from the field, 3-for-8 from 3-point land and 6-for-6 from the free-threw line in the victory. He also pulled down a career-high nine rebounds, dished out three assists and was credited with a career best seven steals in 37:14 of game action. Junior TJ Gadsden was good for a season-high 17 points, with nine of those coming from the free-throw line, and senior Bryce Okpoh scored 15 points to go along with three rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots. Sophomore Youri Fritz added 12 points to the winning cause for the Griffs, who shot 38.2 percent from the field, 28 percent (7-for-25) from 3-point range and 75 percent (27-for-36) from the charity stripe on the night.
 
For Wofford, guard Dillon Bailey posted a game-high 20 points, while teammate Chase Cormier came off the bench to add 17 points. The Terriers shot 35.5 percent from the field, just 26.9 percent from 3-point land and 61.5 percent (16-for-26) from the free-throw line for the contest.
 
GAME RECAP
With the game tied 6-6, Uijtendaal gave Canisius the lead for good just 5:01 into the contest with a 3-point field goal off an assist from junior Tre Dinkins. Leading 16-14 midway through the opening half, Okpoh scored the game's next seven points, capped by his first career 3-point field goal, to put Canisius up 23-14 with 8:15 left before halftime. The Griffs went into the locker room at intermission up 36-21 after the Blue and Gold closed out the final 2:46 of the frame on a 10-3 run, highlighted by five points from Okpoh.
 
In the second half, Canisius stretched its lead to 21 points at 42-21 after Fritz scored a bucket off a pass from Uijtendaal, and later in the half, the Griffs stretched their lead to as many as 27 points with 12:50 remaining following a pair of free-throw makes by Uijtendaal. Canisius' cushion remained at 20-or more points until the 5:23 mark of the second half, as Wofford used a 9-0 run over the span of 2:31 to trim Canisius' lead to 65-54 with 2:52 remaining. Gadsden ended that Wofford run by making a pair of free-throws with 2:35 left to make the score 67-54, but the Terriers answered with a 3-pointer by Cormier and a traditional 3-point play by Chase Martin to make the score 67-60 in favor of the Griffs with 1:52 left on the clock.
 
A 3-point make by Bailey with 22 seconds remaining made the score 71-67 in favor of Canisius, but Gadsden helped seal the win for the Blue and Gold by draining four free-throws in the game's final 18 seconds to close out the contest. The Griffs shot just 33.3 percent from the field in the second half and Canisius did not make a field goal over the game's final 7:24, but the Blue and Gold went 23-for-29 from the free-throw line in the game's final 20 minutes, with 13 of those makes at the stripe coming in the closing 6:11.
   
GAME NOTES
• Friday marked the first meeting between Canisius and Wofford in men's basketball.
• Canisius was playing its first regular-season game outside of the United States since Nov. 27, 1987 when the program opened the year at the Budweiser Irish Classic in Cork, Ireland.
• After starting the season by making just 18 free-throws in the first three games of the year, Canisius has made 51 free-throws in the last two games, combined.
• The Griffs have scored 70-or more points in four of the first five games this year.
• The Griffs were credited with 15 assists on 21-made field goals in the win. Dinkins' dished out a season-high five of those assists for the Blue and Gold.
• After scoring four points and grabbing zero rebounds at Syracuse, Uijtendaal is averaging 16.5 points and 6.8 rebounds in the Griffs' last four contests.
• Uijtendaal's seven steals are the most for a Canisius player since Malik Johnson had seven steals against Holy Cross on Dec. 14, 2019.
• The nine free-throw makes for Gadsden are a career high.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius will return to the court on Saturday afternoon when the Griffs take on Western Kentucky on day two of the 2023 Northern Classic. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. A live video streaming link can be found on the men's basketball schedule page at GoGriffs.com, and the audio call can be found on GoGriffs.com and the Golden Griffin Broadcast Network, with the M&T Bank Pregame Show starting at 1:40 p.m.
 
SUPPORT YOUR GRIFFS
Support the Canisius men's basketball teams in conjunction with the "More Than A Game" campaign. Your donation to the Canisius 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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