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Canisius University Athletics

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Frank Mitchell grabs a rebound in a home game against D'Youville on Nov. 20, 2023.
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77
Western Ky. WestKy 4-2,0-0 CUSA
85
Winner Canisius Canis 4-2,0-0 MAAC
Western Ky. WestKy
4-2,0-0 CUSA
77
Final
85
Canisius Canis
4-2,0-0 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Western Ky. WestKy 37 40 77
Canisius Canis 33 52 85

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Basketball Fights Back to Beat Western Kentucky

The Canisius men's basketball team shot 58.6 percent from the field and made 6-of-9 shots from 3-point land in the game's second half to erase a four-point halftime deficit and go on to score an 85-77 victory over Western Kentucky Saturday afternoon on the second day of the 2023 Northern Classic at Bell Place Arena in Laval, Quebec.
 
The win, Canisius' third straight, improves the Golden Griffins to 4-2 on the year, while the Hilltoppers saw their three-game win streak come to an end with the loss. Western Kentucky is now 4-2 on the season as well.
 
Six Canisius players scored in double-figures on Saturday, led by junior Frank Mitchell, who scored a game-high 17 points to go along with a game-high 16 rebounds. Those 16 rebounds, the most for any player in the MAAC this season, also stand as the most for a Canisius player since former Griff Jermaine Crumpton had 16 boards at Marist on Feb. 2, 2018. Senior Siem Uijtendaal added 15 points and four assists, while fellow senior Bryce Okpoh was good for 14 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals to the winning effort. Junior Tre Dinkins and sophomore Cam Palesse each had 12 points in the victory, while sophomore Youri Fritz chipped in 10 points. Dinkins was also credited with a career-high eight assists in the win, as the Griffs ended the contest with 17 assists on 27-made field goals.
 
Four Western Kentucky players had double-digits in the scoring column, led by guard Don McHenry, who scored 16 points to lead the way for the Hilltoppers. Babacar Faye came off the bench and earned a double-double in the losing effort with 15 points and 10 rebounds, as Western Kentucky ended the game by shooting 48.4 percent from the field, but made just 2-of-10 tries from behind the 3-point arc.
 
GAME RECAP
Western Kentucky used an 8-0 run over the span of 2:16 midway through the opening half to take a 30-19 lead over Canisius. But the Griffs answered with a 13-2 run over their own over the next 2:31 to even the game at 32-32. That 13-2 run, which was fueled by nine points from Uijtendaal, was capped with a monster, one-handed jam by Okpoh off an assist from Uijtendaal. The Hilltoppers closed out the half by scoring five of the final six points in the opening stanza to take a 37-33 lead into the locker room at intermission.
 
In the opening stages of the second half, Western Kentucky scored five-straight points to dive its lead back to nine points at 42-33, but again, the Griffs answered the bell, using an 11-0 scoring spurt over the contest's next 2:08 to take their first lead of the game at 44-42 with 16:52 left to play. The teams traded baskets for the next 1:07 before the Blue and Gold took the lead for good with 15:22 remaining. On that play, Mitchell was able to grab one of his five offensive rebounds on the day and then scored on a nifty hook-shot in the paint to put Canisius up 48-46. Moments later, Canisius stretched it lead to 51-46 thanks to a 3-pointer off the left wing by Okpoh, his third made 3-point field goal in the last two games.
 
The Griffs' lead, which ballooned to as many as 16 points with 6:03 left in the second half, never dipped below three points over the remaining 13:36 of the contest. Late in the game, Western Kentucky made it a two-possession game by trimming the Griffs' margin to five points at 80-75 with 24.5 seconds left, however, Dinkins capped the win for Canisius by making four free-throws in the game's closing 22 seconds.
 
Canisius shot 43.5 percent from the field as a team in the win and 39.1 percent (9-for-23) from 3-point land after shooting just 30.3 percent from the floor and 21.4 percent from behind the arc in the opening 20 minutes of play. Canisius also took care of business at the free-throw line, making 22-of-31 (71.0 percent) of its charity tosses, while Western Kentucky, which outscored Canisius 56-34 in the paint, shot just 59.1 percent from the free-throw line, making 13-of-22 free-throws.
   
GAME NOTES
• Saturday was the seventh all-time meeting between Canisius and Western Kentucky in men's basketball, and it was the first time the two schools met since Dec. 26, 1949. The Canisius win snapped the Hilltoppers' five-game win streak in the series, as Western Kentucky now leads the series 5-2.
• Dating back to the end of last season, Canisius has won seven of its last 10 ball games.
• At 4-2, this is Canisius' best six-game start to a season since 2019-20.
• The Griffs have scored 70-or more points in five of the first six games on the schedule this season.
• Canisius has had six players score double-figures in a game in two of the team's last three outings, including Saturday's victory.

UP NEXT
Canisius will close out its stay at the 2023 Northern Classic on Sunday, when the Griffs take on Bowling Green. Tip-off is set for 4 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 3:40 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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