BUFFALO — Canisius returns home Saturday looking to end a three-game slide when the Golden Griffins play host to Manhattan in the Koessler Athletic Center. Canisius start the day as one of three teams with a 5-5 mark in MAAC play.
Canisius returns home this afternoon when the Golden Griffins play host to Manhattan. The Griffs are looking to end their first three-game losing skid of the season after falling at Niagara Jan. 23. Canisius is 12-9 overall and 5-5 in MAAC play. Canisius’ 84 points scored in the loss at Niagara marks the 12th time this season the team has scored 80-plus points in a game. The Griffs are 9-3 in those 12 contests. The Griffs boast the MAAC’s highest scoring offense at 81.5 points per game. Canisius starts today ranked 31st nationally in scoring average. Canisius junior Kassius Robertson ranks fourth in the MAAC in scoring average with his 17.9 points per game. In MAAC play, he’s good for 19.6 points per game, which ranks second in the conference. Junior Jermaine Crumpton had 22 points at Niagara. In the last five games, he’s averaging a team-high 19.6 points per game for the Griffs. Senior Phil Valenti scored 19 of his 20 points at Niagara in the second half.
Today’s game will be the 90th all-time meeting between these two conference rivals, with Manhattan leading the series 54-35. The Griffs have won each of the last two games in this series, with those two wins coming by a total of four points. Canisius won the first meeting between these schools this season back on Dec. 2, when the Griffs overcame a 15-point second-half half en route to a 77-76 victory in Riverdale, New York. The Jaspers have won three straight, four of the last five and eight of the last 10 games played between these teams here in the Koessler Athletic Center, dating back to the 2006-07 season.
Manhattan snapped a three-game losing skid with a 70-69 win over Niagara on the road Thursday night. The win moved Manhattan to 8-14 overall and 3-8 in MAAC games. The win over Niagara gives the Jaspers a sweep in this year’s regular-season series and also stands as the team’s first road league win of the year. As a team, Manhattan is good for 72.9 points per game, which ranks seventh in the MAAC. The Jaspers are allowing 78.6 points per game, which ranks eighth in the league, three spots ahead of Canisius. Junior Zavier Turner leads the team and ranks ninth in the MAAC with his 16.1 points per game scoring average. He also ranks ninth in the league in assists per game with 3.4 per contest. Fellow junior Zane Waterman chips in 13.9 points per game to go with a team-high 6.7 rebounds per contest. He ranks eighth in the MAAC in rebounds per game, and his 51.3 percent effort from the field this season is seventh-best in the conference.
The Griffs will be back on the court inside the Koessler Athletic Center, when the team hosts Rider Monday, Jan. 30. Game time is set for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3, and the live audio call will be available on Timeless WECK 1230-AM and 102.9-FM in Buffalo and through GoGriffs.com.
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