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Canisius University Athletics

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Tre Dinkins brings the ball up the floor in a game at Syracuse on Nov. 8, 2023.
Anthony Militello
77
Canisius Canis 0-1,0-0 MAAC
89
Winner Syracuse SU 2-0,0-0 ACC
Canisius Canis
0-1,0-0 MAAC
77
Final
89
Syracuse SU
2-0,0-0 ACC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Canisius Canis 32 45 77
Syracuse SU 41 48 89

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Basketball Falls in Season Opener at Syracuse

Syracuse guard Judah Mintz scored a career-high 26 points and fellow guard JJ Starling added 17 points and seven assists to help lead the host Orange to an 89-77 win over Canisius in men's basketball action Wednesday night at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, N.Y.
 
The win moved the Orange to 2-0 on the young season, while the Golden Griffins fell to 0-1 on the year with the loss in their season opener. Junior Tre Dinkins came off the bench to score a team-high 17 points in the losing effort for the Griffs, who had four players post double-figures in the scoring column in the season opener. Sophomore Tahj Staveskie was good for 12 points, a career-high eight rebounds and three assists, while junior Frank Mitchell added 12 points and nine boards in his first career game as a Griff. Junior TJ Gadsden chipped in 10 points to go with six rebounds for Canisius, which ended the night with 37 team rebounds, the same number as Syracuse.
 
The Blue and Gold shot 48.4 percent from the field for the game, highlighted by an 18-for-36 effort from the floor in the second half. Of those 18 second-half field goals, eight came from behind the 3-point arc, but the Griffs struggled from the free-throw line on the night, making just 5-of-17 chances from the charity stripe.
 
GAME RECAP
Midway through the first half, Canisius trailed by seven points at 22-15, but back-to-back baskets from Dinkins and Mitchell trimmed the Oranges' lead to just three at 22-19 with 8:15 left before the intermission. A quick 7-1 run by Syracuse over the game's next 2:04 pushed the Orange's cushion back to nine at 29-20, and Syracuse ended up taking a 41-32 lead into the locker room at halftime as the Orange closed out the opening stanza by shooting 52.9 percent from the field, while making 5-of-11 (45.5 percent) from behind the 3-point arc. Canisius shot 46.4 percent from the field in the first half, but the Griffs made just 2-of-9 shots from 3-point land and went just 4-for-14 from the free-throw line in the first 20 minutes of play.
 
In the opening portion of the second half, Canisius trimmed the Syracuse lead to just five at 45-40 with 16:54 left on the clock after senior Siem Uijtendaal grabbed a loose ball at one end of the floor and went coast-to-coast for a lay-up. That would be as close as the Griffs got the rest of the night, however, as Syracuse pushed its cushion back to 10 at 52-42 with 14:20 left to play after Justin Taylor completed a traditional 3-point play. The Griffs kept battling and got within six points at 54-48 with 12:57 left on the clock following back-to-back treys by Staveskie, but on the ensuing possession, Mintz put the game out of reach for the Blue and Gold, as he completed a four-point play with 12:29 remaining.
 
Canisius senior Bryce Okpoh ended the night with nine points off the bench, while sophomore Cam Palesse added six points, two boards and an assist in his first action as a Griff. Sophomore Youri Fritz, who made his first career start, grabbed five rebounds and dished out three assists. Canisius turned 10 Syracuse turnovers into 15 points on the night and the Griffs' 16 offensive rebounds resulted in 16 second-chance points.
 
HEAD COACH REGGIE WITHERPSPOON'S POSTGAME COMMENTS
"Give Syracuse credit, this was a hard-fought game and they certainly used their size and speed to their advantage. I thought we did some good things and there are certainly some things we need to work on."
 
"Obviously, we were not very good at the free-throw line, particularly in the first half. We did a good job of getting to the line, but when you miss that many free-throws, it just leads to empty possessions, and [Syracuse] took advantage of that. I thought we got stagnant on offense a few times too, and that led to them getting the ball back and pushing it down the floor for points."
 
"I give our guys credit, they kept battling and we played hard, but there were a few times where we let our guard down and the intensity level was not where it needs to be, especially when you're playing a team like Syracuse. We'll get back and look at the film and keep working on getting better."

GAME NOTES
• Wednesday marked the second-earliest start date in program history. Last season, Canisius opened the year on Nov. 7 with a home game versus Youngstown State.
• This was the 71st all-time meeting between these two schools, and the first since the 2012-13 season. Syracuse leads the series 47-24.
• Canisius has made 10-or more 3-point field goals in a game 55 times under Witherspoon. The team is 37-18 in those 55 contests.
• The Griffs have scored 75-or more points in five of their last eight season openers.
• Wednesday's game marked the 20th time in Staveskie's career where he has scored in double-figures.
• Mitchell's nine rebounds are the most for a Griff in his first game with the program since Phil Valenti had 10 boards against South Dakota in the 2013-14 season opener.
• Canisius was without the services of junior forward Xzavier Long, who is out with a lower-body injury. He is listed as week-to-week.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius will travel to long-time rival St. Bonaventure for a non-league game on Saturday, Nov. 11. Tip-off in the Reilly Center in Olean, N.Y., is set for 4 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+. 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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