BUFFALO — Three Canisius players scored in double-figures, led by senior forward Phil Valenti and his game-high 22 points, and the host Golden Griffins held Manhattan to 38.9 percent from the field, as the Blue and Gold scored a 78-64 win Saturday afternoon in the Koessler Athletic Center.
The win snapped Canisius’ three-game losing skid and improved the team to 13-9 overall and 6-5 in MAAC play, while the Jaspers fell to 8-15 overall and 3-9 in conference action.
Valenti ended the contest shooting 7-for-9 from the field, 2-for-2 from 3-point land and he went 6-for-9 from the free-throw line in the victory, Canisius’ first home win over Manhattan since Jan. 17, 2013. Junior Kassius Robertson was good for 18 points, four assists and three rebounds, while fellow junior Jermaine Crumpton added 16 points after going 6-for-8 from the floor and 3-for-4 from 3-point land. Freshman guard Malik Johnson tied a career-high with nine points, while also matching a career-high with seven boards. He was credited with six assists and two steals as well, as the Blue and Gold ended the game shooting a season best 56.8 percent from the field, 47.1 percent from 3-point land and 76.9 percent from the charity stripe.
Canisius, which had not held a lead in either of the two previous games, came out and scored nine of the game’s first 12 points to post a 9-3 advantage just 5:00 into the contest. In the later stages of the first stanza, Canisius used a 14-4 run over 5:03 to push its cushion to a dozen at 34-22. The Blue and Gold led by 10 at intermission at 34-24, with Crumpton leading the way with 12 points.
In the second half, Manhattan’s Zane Waterman cut Canisius’ lead to 39-33 with 17:00 left on the clock, but from there, the Jaspers’ offense went cold, and the Griffs took advantage with an 11-4 run over the game’s next 3:50 to make the score 50-37 in favor of the home team. Manhattan whittled the Griffs’ hold to eight points at 55-47 with 6:41 left in regulation time, but four-straight free-throws by Valenti and Johnson stretched the Griffs’ margin back to 12 at 59-47. The eight-point deficit was as close as Manhattan would get to Canisius in the game’s final 7:00.
Freshman Na’Quan Council had a career-high 14 points off the bench in the loss for Manhattan, while Waterman added 12 points and seven rebounds. Ahmed Ismail posted a double-double in the loss for the Jaspers with 10 points and a career-high 10 rebounds.
Canisius will return to action Monday when the team hosts Rider in the Koessler Athletic Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3, and the audio call will be on Timeless WECK 1230-AM and 102.9-FM in Buffalo and the Golden Griffin Broadcast Network.
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