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Canisius University Athletics

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Siem Uijtendaal goes up for two points in the second half of a basketball game against Robert Morris on Dec. 6, 2023.
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80
Robert Morris RM 2-7,0-2 Horizon
87
Winner Canisius Canis 6-4,1-1 MAAC
Robert Morris RM
2-7,0-2 Horizon
80
Final
87
Canisius Canis
6-4,1-1 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Robert Morris RM 35 45 80
Canisius Canis 42 45 87

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Basketball Takes Care of Robert Morris

Senior Siem Uijtendaal scored a season-high 24 points and junior Frank Mitchell recorded his league-leading fifth double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds as the Canisius men's basketball team scored an 87-80 home win over Robert Morris in non-league action Wednesday night in the Koessler Athletic Center. The Golden Griffins improved to 6-4 on the year with the win, while the Colonials slipped to 2-7 with their third-straight loss.
 
The victory also serves as the 100th win at Canisius for head coach Reggie Witherspoon. Witherspoon is the fifth Canisius head coach in the program's 120-year history to reach the 100-win milestone on Main Street, and he is the first Griffs bench boss to win 100 games as the program's leader since Mike MacDonald reached the mark during the 2005-06 campaign.
 
Uijtendaal was one of four Canisius players to record double-figures in the scoring column in the victory after he went 9-for-17 from the field, 3-for-8 from 3-point land and 3-for-3 from the free-throw line. He also added five rebounds and two assists to his final stat line. Mitchell's 18 points came after he went 6-for-11 from the floor and 6-for-9 from the free-throw line. In addition to his 12 boards, he also dished out two assists and had two blocked shots for the Blue and Gold. Junior TJ Gadsden added 16 points, nine rebounds, two steals and two blocks, while fellow junior Tre Dinkins was good for 15 points and a game-high eight assists. Sophomore Youri Fritz chipped in eight points to go with a career-high 12 boards, as the Griffs ended the night by out-rebounding Robert Morris by a 44-35 clip.
 
For the Colonials, TJ Wainwright came off the bench to score a team-high 19 points in the losing effort. Robert Morris shot 44.6 percent from the field in the loss, but the team made just 4-of-31 shots from 3-point range and made just 10-of-17 chances from the charity stripe.
 
GAME RECAP
With less than 8:00 left to play in the first half, Canisius used a 9-2 run over the span of 2:14 to take a 37-29 lead over Robert Morris with 3:51 left before halftime. In the final 30 seconds of the opening stanza, Uijtendaal scored a traditional 3-point play to give the Blue and Gold a nine-point lead at 42-33, and the Griffs went into the locker room up seven at 42-35 after Markeese Hastings flushed one home with less than three seconds left before intermission.
 
With 3:19 seconds gone in the second half, Gadsden stole the ball and raced down the floor for a jumper in the lane to break the game open, as that bucket capped a 10-4 run for the Griffs out of the intermission, putting Canisius ahead 52-39. Robert Morris fought back and cut the Griffs' cushion to five points at 57-52 with 12:14 remaining, but the Blue and Gold answered with a 9-1 run over the game's next 2:05 to make the score 66-53 with 9:47 showing on the game clock. Robert Morris made one more run late, trimming the Griffs' lead to 79-74 with 1:55 left to play, however, Canisius answered by scoring its next four points at the foul line to seal the victory for the home team.
 
HEAD COACH REGGIE WITHERPSPOON'S POSTGAME COMMENTS
   
GAME NOTES
• Wednesday marked the 10th all-time meeting between the two programs. Robert Morris leads the series 6-4, but Canisius has won the last three meetings between the two schools.
• The 6-4 record through the first 10 games of the season marks Canisius' best 10-game start to a season since 2020-21, when the team was also 6-4 through the first 10 games on the schedule.
• The Blue and Gold is averaging 85.3 points per game in their four home games this season.
• As a team, Canisius has shot 45.0 percent or better from the field six times this season. Last year, the Griffs shot better than 45.0 percent from the floor in nine games.
• Uijtendaal is the first Canisius player to score in double-figures in nine-straight games since Majesty Brandon had 10-or more points in 11 consecutive games during the 2019-20 season.
• Dinkins' eight assists on Wednesday give him a total of 41 assists through the first 10 games of the year. Last season, he was credited with 44 total assists in 30 games played.

UP NEXT
Canisius will open a four-game road swing over the next 30 calendar days, starting Saturday, Dec. 9, when the Griffs travel to play at Pitt in non-conference action. That contest will tip-off at 6 p.m., and it will be broadcast live on the ACC Network. The audio call can be found through Golden Griffin Broadcast Network at GoGriffs.com, with the M&T Bank Pregame Show starting at 5:40 p.m.
 
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