With two weeks left in the regular-season, Canisius heads back on the road tonight when the team plays at Rider in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Tipoff on ESPN3 is set for 7 p.m. The Golden Griffins enter the game in fifth-place in the MAAC standings, a half-game behind Siena, who defeated Manhattan at home Thursday night.
Canisius begins its final road trip of the 2016-17 regular-season tonight when the Golden Griffins play at Rider. The Griffs are 16-11 overall and 9-7 in MAAC play after defeating Iona 89-83 Feb. 14 at home. The win for Canisius snapped the Griffs’ four-game losing streak to the Gaels. Canisius tied a Koessler Athletic Center record with 16 3-point field goals in the win over Iona. The Blue and Gold have made 256 3-pointers this season, 17th most for any Division I team in the country. Junior Kassius Robertson ranks fifth in the MAAC in scoring average with his 17.0 points per game. He needs one more 3-pointer to become the third Griff in school history to hit 200-plus career 3-point field goals. Sophomore Martin Dixon-Green came off the bench and scored a career-high 10 points in the win over Iona Feb. 14. Senior Kiefer Douse is good for 18 points per game in the team’s last five.
This will be the 46th all-time meeting between these two programs, with Rider leading the series 34-11. The Griffs travel to Alumni Gymnasium with just three wins in 20 tries on Rider’s campus. Prior to Feb. 11, 2011, Canisius had never won a road game against Rider, in a series that dates back to 1930. In all, 14 of the previous 45 contests in this series have been decided by five points or less, with Rider holding an 11-3 record in those contests.
Rider comes into tonight’s game with a 14-13 overall record and a 7-9 mark in MAAC play. Rider is coming off 69-67 loss at Fairfield Feb. 13. The Broncs have dropped eight of their last 11 games since Jan. 13, but one of those three victories came Jan. 30 at Canisius. As a team, Rider is averaging 73.6 points per game, which ranks seventh in the league. Defensively, the Broncs are allowing 74.4 points per outing, which ranks fourth-best in the conference. Rider leads the MAAC in team rebounding average (40.4 rebounds per game), which ranks 13th best in the nation, and the team’s plus 3.3 rating in rebounding margin is first in the conference and 83rd in the country. Senior Jimmie Taylor leads the team and ranks 13th in the MAAC with his 14.3 points per game. He scored a career-high 37 points in the team’s 112-107 victory over Quinnipiac Feb. 11. Fellow senior Kahlil Thomas ranks third in the MAAC and 49th in the nation with his 9.0 rebounds per game. He is also shooting 51.2 percent (145-for-283) from the field this season, which is seventh in the conference and 97th in the nation.
Canisius’ 89-83 win over Iona Tuesday night featured a well-balanced scoring attack, as six Golden Griffins ended the game with 10-or more points in the victory. Going back through the 1989-90 season, Tuesday’s game marked the only time Canisius has had six players record double-figures in a game. This season, Canisius has had five or more players score in double-figures a total of five times, with the Blue and Gold boasting a 5-0 record in those contests.
The Griffs play their final road game of the 2016-17 regular-season on Sunday when the Blue and Gold travels to Poughkeepsie, New York to meet Marist. Game time is set for 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast live throughout New York State on Time Warner Cable Sports Channel, with the 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
