KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Canisius freshman Josiah Heath had 14 points and 18 rebounds, but the host UMKC Kangaroos outscored the Golden Griffins 20-5 in the opening 4:25 of the second half to post a 72-67 win Friday night in the Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City, Mo. UMKC moves to 7-5 with the win, while Canisius slipped to 1-8 with the loss.
Heath finished the night by going 4-for-8 from the field, 6-for-6 from the free-throw line and recorded 14 boards off the defensive glass to go with three blocks and two steals in 30 minutes. Junior Harold Washington added 12 points and five rebounds to the Griffs’ effort, while fellow junior Alshwan Hymes chipped in 12 points. For the game, the Blue and Gold shot 37.9 percent from the field, 29.4 percent from 3-point land and 94.7 percent from the free-throw line, while holding a 39-36 advantage on the glass.
UMKC sophomore Trinity Hall scored a game-high 27 points for the Kangaroos, which have now won three straight. Guard Reggie Chamberlain, who entered the game averaging 19.9 points per game, was the only other UMKC player with double figures in the scoring column as he scored 10 points in the winning effort. UMKC shot 40.6 percent from the field, 15.4 percent from 3-point land and 72.7 percent from the free-throw line, and were able to turn 14 Canisius turnovers into 14 points on the night.
Canisius, which led by as many as 10 points in the first half at 21-11, took a 31-30 lead into the locker room at halftime. UMKC came out firing on all cylinders in the second half, scoring 20 of the first 25 points points in the second stanza, with Hall accounting for eight and Chamberlain adding five in the run that put the host squad up 50-36 with 13:35 left on the clock. After Hall scored on a backdoor lay-up with 4:47 left in the contest, UMKC led by 10 at 61-51, but Canisius mounted a comeback to get back into the game, outscoring the Kangaroos 8-1 over a span of 2:21 to make the game a five-point contest with 2:08 left in regulation time.
Sophomore Reggie Groves got the Griffs’ charge started with two made free-throws, and a tip-in by Heath off an offensive rebound made the score 62-55 with 3:33 left. Washington drove to the hoop and laid one off the glass with 2:08 left to play, making the score 67-55. Out of a Canisius timeout, UMKC was able to get a basket to cool the Canisius run, but the Blue and Gold would not go away, and a 3-pointer by junior Gaby Belardo with 1:24 left on the clock made the score 66-62 in favor of the Kangaroos. UMKC answered with a basket of its own a few moments later to drive its margin to six at 68-62, but Hymes nailed a trey from the top of the key with 21 ticks left to make the score 68-65. That was as close as Canisius would get late in the contest as UMKC made two free-throws and got a dunk from Hall to seal the victory.
Sophomore Chris Manhertz had eight points and five rebounds for Canisius before he fouled out with less than 30 seconds left on the clock, while Groves added nine points and three assists. UMKC’s Thomas Staton chipped in eight points for the ‘Roos, which shot 50 percent from the floor in the game’s second half.
Canisius will travel to South Dakota for a non-conference game Sunday, Dec. 18. Game time in the DakotaDome is set for 3 p.m.
Game Notes: This was the first-ever meeting between Canisius and UMKC… The Griffs led at the half for the third time this season and for the first time since the Longwood game Nov. 15… Heath’s 18 rebounds are the most for a Canisius freshman since former Griff Rigoberto Sargent had 15 boards against Saint Peter’s Feb. 11, 2005… It also stands as the most rebounds for a Griff since Chris Gadley pulled down 25 rebounds at Maine Dec. 30, 2008… Washington and Hymes have now scored in double figures in all nine Canisius games this season… Canisius is one of two MAAC teams, along with Loyola (Md.), to have two players post double figures in the scoring column in every game this year… Belardo returned after missing the team’s last two games with a lower back injury and scored 10 points in 27 minutes… The game was played in the Municipal Auditorium, the site of nine NCAA Final Fours… The last time the building hosted a Final Four was 1964, when UCLA won its first national title under John Wooden.
Leave a Reply