Canisius meets fellow Jesuit school Saint Peter’s tonight in Jersey City, N.J. The Golden Griffins are coming off an 80-73 win at Siena on Saturday, the team’s eighth road victory of the season.
Canisius travels to Jersey City, New Jersey tonight for the first meeting of the season with Saint Peter’s. The Golden Griffins are 14-10 overall and 7-6 in MAAC play after beating Siena 80-73 on the road Saturday night. Canisius comes into tonight’s game having scored 80-or more points 13 times this season. In those 13 games, the Griffs are 10-3. The road win at Siena on Saturday gives Canisius eight road victories this season, which is tied for the MAAC leaf with Rider. Senior Phil Valenti posted his third double-double of the season and the seventh in his career on Saturday as he scored 24 points to go with 10 rebounds in the win at Siena. Valenti has scored 20-or more points in three of the team’s last four games. He’s averaging 18.3 points per game in that span. Junior Kassius Robertson ranks fourth in the MAAC in scoring at 17.5 points per game. He leads the MAAC with 3.1 3-point field goal makes per game.
This will be the 76th all-time meeting between these two Jesuit schools, with Canisius holding a 42-33 lead in the series. Canisius had won six straight in the series before the Peacocks took both regular-season meetings last year. The Griffs are 13-14 all-time against Saint Peter’s in the Yanitelli Center. Canisius has won three of its last four trips to Jersey City, New Jersey by a total of 13 points.
Saint Peter’s comes into tonight’s game with an overall record of 12-11 with an 8-5 mark in MAAC play. The Peacocks have dropped two-straight overtime games, most recently, at Monmouth Feb. 3, by a score of 71-70. As a team, Saint Peter’s ranks first in the MAAC in scoring defense, allowing opponents to score an average of just 63.5 points per game. Offensively, the Peacocks average 65.4 points per game, which ranks 11th in the league. Senior Quadir Welton leads the team in both scoring and rebounding with his 11.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Senior guard Trevis Wyche chips in 11.0 points per game and ranks eighth in the MAAC with his 3.5 assists per game. The Peacocks have nine players on their roster that average better than 11.5 minutes per game, led by Wyche, who plays 30.0 minutes per contest.
Canisius senior Phil Valenti was good for 24 points and 10 rebounds in the win at Siena Saturday night. The double-double effort was the third of the season for Valenti, and it marked the seventh of his career. Valenti has scored 20-or more points in three of the team’s last four games. He has now recorded 20-plus points in a game six times this season and 16 times in his career. The Victor, New York native is averaging 15.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in the last five games, where he’s shooting 59.1 percent from the floor and 61.5 percent from 3-point land.
The Griffs will return home on Friday to renew its long-time rivalry with Niagara. Game time is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN3. The live audio call will be available on Timeless WECK 1230-AM and 102.9-FM in Buffalo and through GoGriffs.com.
from GoGriffs.com via IFTTT