Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Canisius University Athletics

#Griffs The Official Home of the Canisius University Golden Griffins | #Griffs
Frank Mitchell looks to make a low-post move in a road game at Niagara on Feb. 6, 2024.
Gavin Piscitelli
64
Canisius Canis 8-14,3-9 MAAC
69
Winner Niagara Niag 12-10,8-4 MAAC
Canisius Canis
8-14,3-9 MAAC
64
Final
69
Niagara Niag
12-10,8-4 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Canisius Canis 40 24 64
Niagara Niag 26 43 69

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Niagara Fights Back to Defeat Men’s Basketball

Niagara shot 58.6 percent from the field and turned nine Canisius second-half turnovers into 16 points, as the Purple Eagles recorded a 69-64 come-from-behind victory over the Golden Griffins Tuesday night in MAAC men's basketball action at the Gallagher Center in Lewiston, N.Y.
 
Niagara improved to 12-10 overall and 8-4 in MAAC play with its second-straight victory, while Canisius slipped to 8-14 overall and 3-9 in league action with its third-straight loss.
 
Canisius junior Frank Mitchell registered his MAAC-leading 12th double-double of the season after he scored a team-high 16 points to go with 14 rebounds. He also registered two assists and two steals in 34:41 of game action. Senior Bryce Okpoh came off the bench and scored 13 points to go with six boards, while senior Siem Uijtendaal and sophomore Youri Fritz added nine points, each. For the game, Canisius shot 43.1 percent from the field despite making just 2-of-15 shots from 3-point range, but in the second half, the Blue and Gold shot 9-for-25 (36.0 percent) from the floor, while Niagara hit on 17 of its 29 shots.
 
Harlan Obioha posted a team-high 16 points to go with eight rebounds for Niagara, which has now defeated Canisius on the Gallagher Center floor five-straight times, dating back to the 2018-19 campaign. Ahmad Henderson II posted 13 points in the victory for the Purple Eagles while Yaw Obeng-Mensah chipped in 11 points and nine rebounds. For the game, Niagara held a 48-36 advantage on points scored in the paint, while the Griffs ended the game by out-rebounding Niagara, 34-30.
 
GAME RECAP
A bucket by Niagara's Aime Rutayisire just 4:37 into the contest gave the host Purple Eagles an 11-5 lead, but Canisius stormed back, using an 18-4 run over the game's next 6:04 to take a 23-15 lead with 9:04 remaining in the opening half. Niagara was able to trim Canisius' cushion to four points at 26-22 with 5:50 left before halftime, but the Griffs' offense once again surged forward, as Canisius outscored the Purple Eagles 14-4 over the final 5:32 of the first half to take a 40-26 lead into the locker room at intermission.
 
Out of the halftime break, Mitchell drained a pair of free-throws 22 seconds into the second half to put Canisius up 42-26. Moments later, Mitchell made one-of-two charity tosses to give the Blue and Gold a 45-32 lead with 16:38 remaining in the contest, but from there, it was Niagara's turn to lead the scoring surge, using a 13-0 run over the contest's next 2:13 to knot the game at 45-45. Canisius answered that run with back-to-back buckets by Okpoh that put the Griffs' up four at 49-45, however, Niagara tied the game up at 55-5 with 8:08 showing on the clock after Kwane Marble II took a pass from Henderson II in the paint on a fastbreak. Niagara scored nine of the game's next 12 points, capped by a dunk off a Canisius turnover from Obiohah with 4:29 remaining, to put the Purple Eagles ahead 64-58.
 
Trailing 64-60 with 2:58 remaining, Mitchell was able to grab an offensive rebound and lay the ball back into the basket to make it a two-point contest at 64-62. The Griffs stole the ensuing in-bounds pass, but then turned it over themselves, and then the two teams traded four-straight empty possessions until the Griffs were forced to foul Braxton Bayless with 52 seconds remaining. Bayless went 1-for-2 from the free-throw line to make the score 65-62, but another offensive rebound and put-back by Mitchell trimmed Niagara's lead to 65-64 with 18 seconds left to play. Trailing 67-64 with 11.2 seconds left in the game, Canisius had a chance to tie the contest and potentially force overtime, but a 3-point shot banged off the front-iron and Henderson II drilled two free-throws with 0.3 seconds left to seal the victory.
 
HEAD COACH REGGIE WITHERPSPOON'S POSTGAME COMMENTS
"I hate to be redundant, but we have some guys who are playing now that are not accustomed to being in close-game situations, and then you add the fatigue factor into it. I think the guys who were here and playing tonight gave as much of themselves as they thought they had to give us."
 
"We had a bunch of turnovers in the second half that were loud, and they led to baskets on the other end. We just can't have that. I don't think the ball moved enough either, but we have to work through things and play with the guys we have out there."
 
"We didn't shoot well at all from three, we didn't make any in the first half, but the looks were there. I thought we had some good looks in the second half too, but we drove the ball into the paint and we ended up running into [Obioha]. Our margin for error right now is so thin, we need to execute at a high level every possession because we don't have much flexibility."
 
GAME NOTES
• Tuesday marked the 192nd all-time meeting between these two long-time rivals, in a series that dates back to 1904-05. Niagara leads the series 107-85.
• The Griffs ended the game with 13 offensive rebounds, the 16th time this season the team has had 10-or more offensive rebounds in a game.
• The two makes from 3-point range are the fewest for Canisius since Jan. 13, 2022 when the Griffs went 2-for-20 at Niagara.
• Michell is the first Canisius player to record a double-double performance in four-straight games since former Griff Darren Fenn had five-straight double-doubles to close out the 1999-00 regular season.
• Four of Okpoh's six rebounds came off the offensive glass. He has now grabbed at least one offensive rebound in 33 of his 50 career games as a Griff.
• Fritz added five rebounds and three blocked shots to his final stat line for Canisius. The three blocked shots match a career-high, set previously this season against D'Youville.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius will play host to Iona on Saturday at the Koessler Athletic Center. Game time is set for 1 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+. The Canisius radio call will be available for free through the Golden Griffin Broadcast Network at GoGriffs.com and the Varsity Network app, with the M&T Bank Pregame Show set to begin at 12:40 p.m.

For tickets to Saturday's home game, or any of the remaining home men's basketball games, CLICK HERE, or call the Canisius ticket office at (716) 888-TIXX.
 
Like Canisius Athletics on Facebook
Follow @GoGriffs and @Griffs_MBB on X
Follow @GoGriffs and @Griffs_MBB on Instagram
Print Friendly Version