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TJ Gadsden pulls down an offensive rebound in a home game against Quinnipiac Dec. 1, 2023 in Buffalo, N.Y.
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63
Siena Siena 2-13,1-3 MAAC
67
Winner Canisius Canis 7-8,2-3 MAAC
Siena Siena
2-13,1-3 MAAC
63
Final
67
Canisius Canis
7-8,2-3 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Siena Siena 22 41 63
Canisius Canis 29 38 67

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Basketball Ends Skid with Home Win Over Siena

Canisius junior TJ Gadsden scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds off the bench to lead five Golden Griffins in double-figure scoring, as the Blue and Gold ended its four-game losing skid with a 67-63 win over Siena Friday night in MAAC men's basketball action at the Koessler Athletic Center.
 
The win, Canisius' first since its last home game back on Dec. 6, improved the Griffs to 7-8 overall and 2-3 in MAAC play, while Siena slipped to 2-13 overall and 1-3 in conference action with its eighth-straight loss.
 
Gadsden, who came off the bench for the first time this season, scored his 14 points after he went 5-for-9 from the field, 2-for-4 from 3-point land and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line in 31:07 of game action. His biggest basket of the night came with 5:08 remaining in the contest, after he knocked down a 3-pointer from right in front of the Griffs' bench to give Canisius a 56-54 lead, a lead that the Blue and Gold would not give up for the remainder of the contest. Junior Frank Mitchell scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds in the winning effort for Canisius, while seniors Bryce Okpoh and Siem Uijtendaal, along with junior Tre Dinkins, all scored 10 points in the victory. Okpoh added a game-high nine rebounds to Canisius' winning cause, while Dinkins led all players with his game-high five assists.
 
For Siena, Sean Durugordon scored a career-high 30 points in the loss for Siena, and he also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds. Teammate Mason Courtney chipped in 12 points for Siena, which shot 36.7 percent from the floor and made just 4-of-20 tries from 3-point land.
 
GAME RECAP
In a game that started slowly, with neither team leading by more than five points through the contests' first 17:00, Canisius used a 9-2 run over the span of 4:14 in the later stages of the first half to take a 27-20 lead over Siena. The Griffs went into the locker room up seven at 29-22, and quickly stretched their lead to nine at 31-22 just 11 seconds into the second stanza after sophomore Youri Fritz hit a pair of free-throws on Canisius' first possession of the second half.
 
Canisius, which led by as many as 11 points with 14:10 left in the game, held a seven-point cushion with 6:32 remaining after Gadsden drained a pair from the charity stripe to make the score 53-46 in favor of the home team. From there, however, Siena pushed back thanks to an 8-0 run over the game's next 56 seconds, with Courtney accounting for six of those points after he hit back-to-back 3-pointers for the Saints. Courtney's second three-ball in that run, which came with 5:18 remaining, gave Siena its first lead since the scoreboard read 17-16 with 7:19 left to play in the first half. But the late lead was not around for long, as Gadsden's 3-pointer just 10 seconds later on the Griffs' ensuing trip down the floor, put Canisius up 56-54 with 5:08 left to play. A dunk by Okpoh with 55 seconds left on the clock gave Canisius a five-point cushion at 65-60, and a pair of free-throws late by Dinkins sealed the win for the Blue and Gold.
 
HEAD COACH REGGIE WITHERPSPOON'S POSTGAME COMMENTS
"I thought TJ [Gadsden] brought some good energy and determination off the bench, and that's what we need from him. We have a long way to go, but he gave us a good effort tonight."
 
"I think Bryce Okpoh was big off the bench as well. He gave us great energy and six offensive rebounds. None of them were bigger than that one late on the tip-dunk. I think he was challenged because he had to guard a guard a lot of the time, but he gave us some great energy as well."
 
"With Fairfield coming in here on Sunday, we need to be a lot better offensively, and defensively too. We have another gear we have to get to. The ball has to move and we need to play with a lot more force."
 
GAME NOTES
• Friday was the 111th all-time meeting between these two schools, and Siena leads the series 58-53. The win on Friday improved Canisius to 6-4 in the last 10 meetings between the two squads, dating back to the 2018-19 campaign.
• Canisius' seven-game home win streak over Siena is the Griffs' longest active home streak in league play.
• The victory on Friday night was the 299th in the head coaching career of Reggie Witherspoon. Additionally, it stands as his 67th career MAAC regular-season win, which ties him with former head coach Mike MacDonald for first in program history in that category.
• Canisius, which entered the game ranked 50th nationally in 3-point field goal makes per game, won the contest despite making a season-low four shots from behind the arc.
• Gadsden has now scored in double-figures in three of Canisius' last six outings.
• Uijtendaal extended his streak of scoring 10-or more points in a game to 14.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius will close out its first MAAC homestand of the 2024 calendar year on Sunday when the team plays host to Fairfield. Game time is set for 1 p.m., and the contest will be broadcast live on ESPN+. The Canisius radio will be available for free through the Golden Griffin Broadcast Network at GoGriffs.com, with the M&T Bank Pregame Show starting at 12:40 p.m.
 
For tickets to the Fairfield game, or for any other home Canisius basketball game, call the ticket office at (716) 888-TIXX, or buy online by clicking HERE.
 
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