NEW ROCHELLE — The Canisius men’s basketball team returns to the road on Sunday afternoon when the Golden Griffins meet defending MAAC champion Iona.
The Golden Griffins are 10-5 overall and 3-1 after beating Quinnipiac 83-77 Jan. 4. The Griffs come into today’s game riding a seven-game winning streak, the longest win streak for the program since 1998-99. As of Jan. 7, Canisius is one of 12 teams in the country with an active win streak of seven games or better. The Griffs are averaging 87.5 points per game in their last 10 outings since scoring a season-low 58 points in a loss to Tennessee State Nov. 23. After posting just one steal in the win over Siena Jan. 2, Canisius was credited with a season-high 14 steals against Quinnipiac. Senior Kiefer Douse recorded his first career double-double in the win over Quinnipiac after he scored a career-high 18 points to go with 10 boards. Junior Kassius Robertson knocked down three 3-point field goals in the win over Quinnipiac, his 48th career game with multiple 3-point makes.
This is the 70th meeting between these two schools and Iona leads the series 39-30. Iona swept the regular-season series from Canisius this year, and the Gaels ended the Griffs’ season with a 73-55 win the in the 2016 MAAC Championship quarterfinal round. The Gaels’ have won two of the last three meetings between these schools by 18 points, including when the teams played in Buffalo last year. Canisius is 7-22 all-time in the Hynes Athletic Center. The Griffs’ last win in this building came Jan. 17, 2014.
Iona is 9-7 overall and 2-3 in MAAC play after losing at Monmouth Friday night. The Gaels have dropped four of their last five games, dating back to Dec. 22 at Towson. The lone win came Dec. 31 when the team defeated Marist 93-80 at home. Senior Jordan Washington leads the Gaels and ranks second in the MAAC in scoring average with his 18.3 points per game. He also ranks sixth in the league with his 7.3 rebounds per contest. Graduate student Jon Severe is good for 12.0 points per game. Severe is in his first year at Iona after starting his college career at Fordham. Iona is averaging 76.2 points per game this season, which ranks fourth in the MAAC. The Gaels rank third in the conference in field goal percentage (43.8 percent) and third in field goal percentage defense (42.9 percent).
The Griffs will travel to play at Fairfield on Tuesday. Game time in Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on MAAC.tv.
from GoGriffs.com via IFTTT
