Canisius freshman Chris Kumu scored a team-high 16 points, highlighted by a tip-in basket with 13.6 seconds left to play, to help lead the host Golden Griffins to a 58-55 victory over Mercyhurst in non-conference men’s basketball action Wednesday night at the Koessler Athletic Center.
With the win, Canisius improved to 2-2 on the season, while the Lakers fell to 2-2 with the three-point loss. The victory also moved the Blue and Gold to 2-0 at home this year.
Leading 56-53 with less than 20 seconds to play, freshman guard Javante Edwards possessed the ball and let the game clock and shot clock wind down before a pair of Mercyhurst tried to trap him on the right wing. After a brief scramble for a loose ball, Edwards pushed the rock to Kumu, who missed his first lay-up attempt as the shot clock expired, but he was able to tap the ball back into the basket off the rebound, giving the Griffs the 58-53 lead. On the ensuing possession, Mercyhurst’s Jake Lemelman knocked down a 15-foot jumper to cut the Canisius lead to 58-55 with 2.3 seconds left to play. After that basket, the Lakers used their final timeout.
Out of the 30-second timeout, Canisius’ in-bound attempt was batted straight up in the air, allowing graduate student Max Jusianiec to run from his inbounding position and push the ball further up the floor, where Mercyhurst gained possession. However, the officials stopped the game and went to the replay monitor to review the game clock. After a lengthy review, the officials determined the clock did not start properly on the touch on the in-bounds pass, and time had actually expired during the loose ball scramble, allowing Canisius to secure the win.
Kumu’s 16 points came after he went 6-for-11 from the field, 1-for-1 from 3-point land and 3-for-5 from the free-throw line, as he posted double-digits in the scoring column for the third-straight game. Junior Bryan Ndjonga was good for 13 points, five rebounds and three assists, while graduate student Myles Wilmoth chipped in nine points and three rebounds. For the game, Canisius shot 48.8 percent from the field, despite making just 3-of-13 shots from behind the 3-point line and 15-of-26 (57.1 percent) chances from the free-throw line.
For Mercyhurst, Bernie Blount III scored a game-high 19 points, with 15 of those points coming after the halftime break. Lemelman scored 18 points for the Lakers and Qadir Martin chipped in seven points, four rebounds and two assists. Mercyhurst shot 41.5 percent from the field, 20.8 percent from 3-point land and 75.0 percent from the free-throw line, making 6-of-8 chances from the charity stripe.
Edwards led the Griffs’ offense off the bench, as he scored seven of the team’s 10 bench points in the victory. The Griffs also out-rebounded Mercyhurst, 28-27, with Ndjonga grabbing a team-high five boards for the Blue and Gold. Seven different Canisius players had at least two rebounds on the night.
GAME NOTES
• Wednesday marked the fifth meeting between the two programs in a series that Canisius leads 4-1.
• Wednesday also marked the first time Mercyhurst played a basketball game at the Koessler Athletic Center since Dec. 1, 1984. All four of Canisius’ wins in this series have come at the Koessler Athletic Center.
• Tonight marked the first time the Griffs won a game when scoring less than 60 points since Feb. 23, 2020, when the team defeated Manhattan on the road, 57-56. It also stands as the Griffs’ first home victory when not reaching 60 on the scoreboard since Feb. 6, 2011, when the team defeated Saint Peter’s 59-45 at the Koessler Athletic Center.
• Ndjonga has been Canisius’ leading rebounder in all four games this year.
• Kumu is the first Canisius true freshman to score 10-or more points in three consecutive games since Takal Molson closed out the 2017-18 campaign with double-digits in the scoring column in the season’s final four contests.
UP NEXT
Canisius will return to the road for a non-conference game at High Point on Monday, Nov. 17. Tip-off between the Griffs and the Panthers is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
Tickets for all Canisius home men’s basketball games, can be purchased online by CLICKING HERE. Tickets can also be purchased by phone by calling (716) 888-TIXX or in person at the Canisius ticket office, located in the Koessler Athletic Center lobby, during normal business hours and 90 minutes before tip-off on game day.
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Courtesy of Canisius University Athletics.
