BUFFALO — The Canisius Golden Griffins open the home portion of the 2016-17 schedule tonight when the team plays host to UT Martin in the Koessler Athletic Center. The Griffs are coming off a 78-77 win at Duquesne Nov. 18, the team’s first win under new head coach Reggie Witherspoon.
The Canisius men’s basketball team opens the home portion of the 2016-17 schedule tonight when the team hosts UT Martin in the final game of the Bluegrass Showcase. Canisius is 1-2 on the year after beating Duquesne 78-77 on the road Nov. 18. The Griffs shot 50 percent from the field in the win over Duquesne and made 13 3-pointers as a team, the 43rd time since 2012-13 where the team had 10 or more makes from behind the arc. Junior Jermaine Crumpton led Canisius with 18 points at Duquesne, highlighted by his 4-for-4 effort from 3-point range. Senior forward Phil Valenti scored 14 points at Duquesne, including the game-winning bucket with 1.6 seconds left to play. Canisius is meeting UT Martin for the first time in school history tonight. UT Martin is the 62nd NCAA Division I school to play Canisius in the Koessler Athletic Center.
Tonight’s game will be the first between Canisius and UT Martin. Dating back to 2005-06, Canisius is 14-6 in its last 20 games when meeting an opponent for the first time in program history. UT Martin will be the 62nd NCAA Division I program to play against Canisius in the Koessler Athletic Center since the building opened in 1968.
UT Martin is 3-1 on the year after beating Cleveland State 85-74 Nov. 18 in Martin, Tennessee. The Skyhawks enter tonight’s game averaging 87.8 points per game. The team’s lowest point total this season was an 83-point effort in an 86-83 loss at Ole Miss Nov. 11. Senior guard Jacolby Mobley is one of five UT Martin players averaging in double-figures. He leads the team with his 18.0 points per game scoring average, with 15 of his 20 makes from the field coming from 3-point land. Senior forward Javier Martinez has been good for 11.5 points and a team-high 8.5 rebounds per game this season. Of his 34 total rebounds this year, 16 have come off the offensive glass. UT Martin is under the direction of first-year head coach Anthony Stewart. Stewart was promoted to head coach on April 21, 2016 after serving as associate head coach for the Skyhawks in the two previous seasons.
Canisius is 7-9 all-time against current members of the Ohio Valley Conference. The Griffs have played more games (7) against Murray State than any other OVC member school. Canisius’ last win over current OVC school came Dec. 30, 1972, a 90-79 win over Murray State in Buffalo’s Memorial Auditorium.
from GoGriffs.com via IFTTT
