Canisius men’s basketball plays its second-straight rivalry game tonight when the Golden Griffins head south to meet long-time rival St. Bonaventure in Olean.
Canisius is coming off a 94-87 overtime victory over cross-town rival UB on Saturday. That win improved Canisius’ win streak to four straight, the third-longest active win streak for any team in the MAAC.
Thursday’s game will be broadcast live through Time Warner Cable Sports Channel, and streamed online through the Atlantic 10’s streaming platform. The online stream will be blacked out throughout New York State, per contract agreements.
The Canisius Golden Griffins close out non-conference play tonight when the team travels south to meet long-time rival St. Bonaventure. The Griffs are coming off a 94-87 overtime victory over cross-town rival Buffalo Dec. 17 in the Big 4 Basketball Classic. That win extended Canisius’ win streak to four straight. The Griffs are averaging 86.3 points per game in their last seven outings since scoring a season-low 58 points in a loss to Tennessee State Nov. 23. Junior Jermaine Crumpton scored a career-high 31 points in the win over Buffalo – the most points for a Canisius player in KeyBank Center. Fellow junior Kassius Robertson ranks fourth in the MAAC in scoring average with 17.7 points per game. He leads the MAAC and ranks 10th nationally with his 3.6 makes per game from 3-point land. This will be the 165th all-time meeting between these two schools. This marks the 94th season where the Griffs and the Bonnies have played, making this the longest running series in Canisius’ history.
This game tonight will mark the 165th all-time meeting between these two programs in a series that started Jan. 23, 1920. St. Bonaventure leads this series 100-64, but the series has been more even over the last few years, with the Bonnies holding a 6-4 lead in the last 10 meetings. This game here tonight will mark Canisius’ 38th trip to the Reilly Center, where the Bonnies lead the series 32-5. Canisius has dropped six straight in Olean, with the team’s last road win in the series coming Dec. 6, 2003. Canisius has played more games against St. Bonaventure (164) than any other non-league opponent. Canisius has played 179 games all-time against Niagara. This is the 94th season these two schools have met on the hardwood. In terms of years, this is Canisius’ longest running rivalry.
St. Bonaventure comes into tonight’s game with a record of 8-3 after the Bonnies defeated Army West Point 92-83 at home Monday night. The Bonnies are averaging 83.4 points per game, which ranks 32nd in the nation. At home, St. Bonaventure is good for 87 points per outing in five games. Junior Jaylen Adams leads the Bonnies and ranks third in the nation with his 23.5 points per game scoring average. He passed the 1,000-career point milestone in the win over Army on Monday in his 63rd career game. Fellow junior Matt Mobley ranks second on the team in scoring average with 19.1 points per game. Senior Denzel Gregg is good for 12.7 points and a team-best 7.5 rebounds per game. This is St. Bonaventure’s third and final game of the season against Big 4 rivals. The Bonnies are 2-0 against rival Western New York schools this season, having just earned a 79-69 win over Niagara in the Big 4 Basketball Classic last weekend.
The Griffs will be off for 11 days for the holiday break before returning to action at home Jan. 2, when the Griffs host MAAC rival Siena in the Koessler Athletic Center. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
from GoGriffs.com via IFTTT