CANISIUS COLLEGE ATHLETICS
JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Four Golden Griffins scored in double-figures, led by sophomore Isaiah Reese, who recorded a game-high 15 points, and junior guard Jonathan Sanks who scored a career-high 14 points off the bench, as Canisius went on the road and defeated Saint Peter’s 73-58 Sunday afternoon in the Yantelli Center. The win, Canisius’ 11th in its last 13 outings, moved the team to 15-9 overall and 9-2 in MAAC play, while the Peacocks fell to 9-14 overall and 3-9 in MAAC action.
Reese’s 15 points came after he went 5-for-11 from the field, 2-for-8 from 3-point land and a perfect 3-for-3 from the charity stripe. He also added four rebounds, two assists and a steal in 32 minutes. Sanks came off the bench and drilled four 3-pointers, three of which came before halftime, and senior Jermaine Crumpton chipped in 14 points to the winning effort. Fellow senior Selvedin Planincic matched a career-high with 11 points and freshman Takal Molsongrabbed a career-best 11 boards in the victory for Canisius, which swept the regular-season series from Saint Peter’s for the first time since 2014-15. Sophomore Malik Johnson led all players with eight assists to go along with six boards and a career-high four steals for Canisius.
The Griffs took control of the game with less than 6:00 left before halftime, as the Blue and Gold used a 15-3 run over the final 5:13 of the opening stanza to take a 42-30 lead into the locker room at the break. In that run, Sanks hit a pair of 3-pointers and Molson added a trey from the far corner. Canisius closed the first half by scoring four points in the final 9.1 seconds of the frame after Planincic hit a pair of free-throws and the Griffs forced a Saint Peter’s turnover at mid-court, which allowed Reese to race up the floor and lay one over the rim as the first-half horn sounded.
In the second half, Canisius scored the first seven points out of intermission to push its lead to 49-30 with 18:57 left to play. The Griffs would stretch their hold to as many as 27 points midway through the second half, as the Blue and Gold shot 44.8 percent from the field while holding the Peacocks to a 39.1 percent shooting performance in the game’s second 20-minute session.
Saint Peter’s guard Mamadou Ndiaye led Saint Peter’s with 11 points off the bench, while Taylor Quinn chipped in nine points and seven rebounds. Saint Peter’s ended the game with 13 turnovers, which Canisius turned into 18 points.
Head Coach Reggie Witherspoon‘s Postgame Comments
“The start of the second half was the best start to a half we’ve had, at least that I can remember off the top of my head. The guys were really locked in. I thought our ball movement was really good in spots. We got a little out of rhythm the last eight minutes or so, but I think our ability to move the basketball and make their defense move a lot was really key. We also did some different things with ball screens, defensively. This is the second time around playing these guys, so that little change disrupted what they were looking to do on offense.”
Game Notes
• Sunday was the 80th meeting between the two Jesuit schools, with the Griffs holding a 45-35 lead in the series.
• Canisius held Saint Peter’s to 58 points in both of the meetings this season after the Blue and Gold posted a 71-58 win back on Jan. 12 when the teams played in Buffalo.
• The Griffs moved to 6-7 on the road this year, and the team has now won four-straight MAAC road contests.
• Sunday marked the 15th time in program history where the Blue and Gold played on Super Bowl Sunday. Canisius is now 6-9 in those games.
• Crumpton’s 14 points allowed him to move into ninth place on the school’s career scoring list. He also extended his streak of scoring 10-or more points in a game to 20-straight games.
• Johnson’s eight assists are the most for the sophomore guard against a MAAC rival. His career-high for assists in a game is nine, set Nov. 26, 2017 at Pacific.
• Reese’s two 3-point field goals in the win gives him multiple 3-point makes in a game 20 times this season and 26 times in his career.
• Planincic has posted his career-high 11 points on the final stat sheet four times in his 50 games as a Griff, including twice this season against Saint Peter’s.
Up Next
Canisius returns home to start a three-game homestand Thursday, Feb. 8, when the Griffs play host to Siena. Game time in the Koessler Athletic Center is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN3. The radio call will be available on Buffalo’s WECK 1230-AM and 102.9-FM, GoGriffs.com and the TUNEIN app.
