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Canisius University Athletics

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Bryce Okpoh looks to score in traffic against D'Youville at the Koessler Athletic Center on Nov. 20, 2023.
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73
Winner Canisius Canis 10-15,5-10 MAAC
64
Siena Siena 4-22,3-12 MAAC
Winner
Canisius Canis
10-15,5-10 MAAC
73
Final
64
Siena Siena
4-22,3-12 MAAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Canisius Canis 36 37 73
Siena Siena 28 36 64

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Basketball Scores Road Win at Siena

Canisius junior guard Tre Dinkins scored a team-high 22 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists, while junior Frank Mitchell and sophomore Cam Palesse added 12 and 10 points, respectively, as the Golden Griffins went on the road and beat Siena 73-64 in MAAC men's basketball action Sunday afternoon at MVP Arena in Albany, N.Y.
 
The win, Canisius' first MAAC road win of the season, improved the Griffs to 10-15 overall and 5-10 in league play, while the Saints slipped to 4-22 overall and 3-12 in conference games with their second-straight loss.
 
Dinkins ended the day by going 7-for-13 from the field, with five of those makes coming from behind the 3-point arc. His second 3-point make of the day, which came in the closing seconds of the first half, was the 100th 3-point field goal of this career, making him the 21st Griff in program history to hit 100-or more career triples while wearing the Blue and Gold. Mitchell's 12 points came after he went 6-for-8 from the field, as Canisius closed out the contest by shooting 50.9 percent from the floor and 46.7 percent from behind the arc, with five of the team's seven makes from distance coming in the game's second half.
 
Giovanni Emejuru scored a game-high 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the loss for Siena, which has now dropped three straight and 10 of the last 15 meetings against Canisius. Michael Ojo and Mason Courtney each added 12 points to the Saints' effort, as Siena ended the day by shooting 41.2 percent from the field, 34.8 percent from 3-point land and 73.7 percent from the free-throw line.
 
GAME RECAP
A bucket by sophomore Youri Fritz at the 17:08 mark of the first half made the score 6-4 in favor of the Saints. From there, Emerjuru scored nine-straight points for the Saints to give his team a 15-8 lead with 14:51 left in the opening half. Siena maintained a two-possession lead for the next 4:19 before Canisius went on a 16-3 run over the game's next 5:55 that put the Griffs up seven at 28-21. In that run, which was capped a by a 3-pointer by Dinkins, four different Canisius players scored, with Dinkins accounting for six of the team's 16 points. Two free-throws by Ojo allowed Siena to trim the Griffs' cushion to five at 28-23 with 4:48 left before the intermission, but Canisius answered with the game's next five points, highlighted by a traditional 3-point play from Fritz, to give the Griffs a 10-point advantage at 33-23 with 3:38 left before halftime.
 
In the second half, Canisius pushed its lead to 11 at 41-30 with 19:16 left to play on a bucket by Mitchell. Canisius' lead never dipped below six points until the 11:23 mark of the second half when Mason Courtney drilled a corner-three as the shot clock expired to make the score 49-44 in favor of the Griffs. But Canisius answered just 20 seconds later when junior TJ Gadsden drilled a 3-pointer of his own from the left wing to push the Blue and Gold's lead by to eight points at 52-44. The Griffs pulled away for good moments later, as on three-consecutive possessions, Dinkins connected with a 3-pointer, Mitchell pounded down a dunk after cutting through the lane and then Gadsden drove baseline and slammed one home to put Canisius up 59-45 with 9:01 showing on the game clock.
 
Seven different Griffs scored at least four points in the win on Sunday, with Gadsden and senior Bryce Okpoh each scoring nine points in the winning effort. Okpoh also grabbed a team-high eight boards in the win with four of those rebounds coming off the offensive glass. Palesse grabbed six rebounds for the Griffs, while sophomore Devean Williams recorded two steals for the Blue and Gold, the 10th time in his last 11 games where he has been credited with a steal.
 
HEAD COACH REGGIE WITHERPSPOON'S POSTGAME COMMENTS  
GAME NOTES
• Sunday was the 112th all-time meeting between Canisius and Siena. In terms of games played, Canisius has only played Niagara and St. Bonaventure more times in program history.
• Siena leads the all-time series between the two programs, 68-54. Sunday marked jus the eighth time Canisius has defeated Siena on the court at MVP Arena, dating back to 1995.
• The Griffs matched a season-low with six turnovers in the game. Canisius also had just six turnovers against Bowling Green back on Nov. 26.
• Dinkins' five 3-pointers gives him multiple 3-point field goal makes in 19 games this season and in 27 games in his career.
• Dinkins reached 100-career 3-point makes in 55 games, which is the fastest pace for a Canisius player to accomplish that feat since former Griff Billy Baron did it in 48 games between the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons.
• Mitchell's streak of pulling down 14-or more rebounds in a game ended at seven after he recorded a season-low three rebounds on Sunday.
• The win on Sunday serves as the 104th victory at Canisius for head coach Reggie Witherspoon. Witherspoon is now tied with former Griffs' head coach Allie Seelbach for fourth on the school's all-time coaching wins list.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius returns home to start its final three-game homestand of the 2023-24 season Friday night, Feb. 23, when it plays host to long-time rival Niagara at the Koessler Athletic Center. Game time is set for 7 p.m., and the contest will be broadcast live on ESPN+. The Griffs' radio call can be heard for free through the Golden Griffin Broadcast Network on GoGriffs.com and the Varsity Network app, with the M&T Bank Pregame Show set to start at 6:40 p.m.
 
Tickets for the Niagara game, and all other future home games can be purchased online by visiting GoGriffs.com/Tickets or by phone by calling (716) 888-TIXX.
 
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