The Canisius men’s basketball team never trailed and shot 55.8 percent from the field, as the Golden Griffins posted a 66-53 win over Saint Peter’s in MAAC action Friday night at the Koessler Athletic Center. The win, Canisius’ third in its last four outings, improved the Blue and Gold to 8-19 overall and 6-12 in MAAC play, while the Peacocks slipped to 10-16 overall and 5-12 in conference action with their third-straight loss.
Canisius senior Jacco Fritz scored a team-high 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the charge for Canisius, which has now won eight of the last 10 meetings over Saint Peter’s, dating back to the 2017-18 campaign. Junior Siem Uijtendaal added 12 points, two rebounds and two steals off the bench, while sophomore Tre Dinkins chipped in nine points, three boards and two assists. For the game, Canisius hit on 24-of-43 shots from the field, while making just 4-of-13 tries (30.8 percent) from 3-point land. Canisius also shot 82.4 percent from the free-throw line, connecting on 14-of-17 tries from the stripe.
Saint Peter’s guard Isiah Dasher led all scorers with 14 points after he went 7-fof-14 from the floor. Fellow guard Latrell Reid added eight points, while Jaylen Murray posted seven points and six rebounds in the losing effort, as the Peacocks shot 42.1 percent from the field, 11.9 percent (2-for-17) from 3-point land and 33.3 percent (3-for-9) from the free-throw line.
Sophomore TJ Gadsden scored four of the Griffs’ first eight points to help put the home team up 8-2 just 3:13 into the contest. A 3-pointer by Uijtendaal with 3:20 left before halftime gave the Blue and Gold and 11-point lead at 29-18, but Saint Peter’s battled back and got within two points at halftime thanks to an 11-2 run over the closing 2:59 of the opening half. Saint Peter’s tied the game at 31-31 on a basket by Reid just 39 seconds in the second half, but Canisius made a move and got away from the Peacocks over the game’s next 4:07 with a 9-0 scoring surge, where Gadsden again accounted for four of the Griffs’ points, as Canisius took a 40-31 lead with 14:46 left on the clock.
A driving lay-up by Reid with 6:05 remaining in the contest got Saint Peter’s within one at 49-48, but once again, Canisius answered the bell, using a 12-1 run over the contest’s next 2:39 to seal the victory. In that decisive run, which was capped by a 3-point field goal by redshirt-freshman Tahj Staveskie, Dinkins scored seven of his nine points on the night, highlighted by a 3-pointer from just in front of the Canisius bench with 3:55 left in the contest.
GAME NOTES
• Friday was the 89th all-time meeting between the two Jesuit schools. Canisius leads the series 52-37.
• The Griffs have now shot 50.0 percent or better in four-straight games, dating back to the win over Quinnipiac at home Feb. 12. This marks the first time Canisius has shot 50.0 percent or better in four-straight games under seventh-year head coach Reggie Witherspoon.
• Canisius improved to 13-4 under Witherspoon when holding opponents to fewer than 60 points in a game.
• Fritz has now scored in double-figures in four-straight games, and he is averaging 14.0 points per game in that stretch.
• Fritz led the Griffs with three steals on Friday, the third time this season he had three steals in a game.
• Four of Staveskie’s seven points on the night came from the free-throw line. Dating back to Feb. 10, vs. Iona, he has made 18-straight free-throws.
UP NEXT
Canisius will continue its three-game homestand to close the regular season on Sunday, when the Blue and Gold plays host to Fairfield at the Koessler Athletic Center. Game time is set for 1 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN3. The audio call can be found exclusively through GoGriffs.com. The first 500 fans in the door will receive a free Canisius basketball T-shirt. For tickets, or more information, call the Canisius ticket office at (716) 888-TIXX, or buy tickets online at GoGriffs.com.
For the most up-to-date information on Canisius men’s basketball, follow @Griffs_MBB on Twitter and Instagram.
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