By Paul Gotham
BUFFALO, NY — It was just a matter of time. Playing without their point guard, the Canisius Golden Griffins committed just two turnovers in the first half. That number more than doubled in the game’s final four minutes.
Using a three-quarter court press the Rider Broncs scored 13 straight to down the Canisius Golden Griffins 71-66 in Metro Atlantic Athletic action at the Koessler Athletic Center Thursday night.
Novar Gadson’s up and under move gave the Broncs their first lead of the game at 64-63 with 2:04 remaining. The basket came in the middle of a run where the Broncs created turnovers on five consecutive Canisius possessions.
“It was probably my mistake that we weren’t in it a little bit earlier,” Rider coach Tommy Dempsey said of going to the press. “Considering that they were playing without a true point guard.”
Canisius point guard Gaby Belardo was forced to watch from the sidelines as his teammates succumbed to the late pressure. The junior guard’s back has ailed him since November, but he has been able to contribute in past games.
As a result fellow teammates were forced into different roles. Alshwan Hymes, who usually plays at the back end of the press break to stretch the defense with his shooting range, was forced into sharing the ballhandling responsibilities.
“We were also cautious about not losing Hymes,” Dempsey continued. “That was why we didn’t press for a while.”
“Down the stretch we had guys in positions who are normally not in those positions,” Canisius coach Tom Parrotta explained. “We needed to handle the pressure a little bit better. It didn’t bother us early on in the game, and I think they turned it up a little bit.”
Anthony Myles added four in the late run as the Broncs came back from ten down at 59-49. The sophomore guard drove baseline and sent home a powerful dunk to pull the Broncs within three. He followed with a finesse catch-and-shoot jumper in the lane to make it a one-point game.
Chris Manhertz scored six straight as the Griffs took their largest lead of the game earlier in the stanza. The sophomore forward took a Hymes pass and nailed a jumper just outside the lane. After a pair of free throws, Manhertz found the soft spot in the Rider press and caught a pass at the free throw line from David Santiago turned and hit for a 57-49 lead.
But the Griffs struggled to find that soft spot in the game’s last two minutes.
“Down the stretch we needed to maintain our composure a little bit more,” Manhertz noted. “It’s obviously very disappointing for us. At the same time, it’s something for us to learn from.”
The Golden Griffins used a quartet of mini runs to grab a five-point edge at half.
Franklin Milian started the scoring with a catch-and-shoot three from Kevin Bleeker. After a stop at the other end, Harold Washington finished a layup in traffic for a 5-0 advantage.
Washington scored five straight as the Griffins took 15-9 lead. The junior guard pulled up from behind the arc in transition and connected. He followed with a drive from the left using the rim as a shield and finished on the other side of the lane.
Manhertz and Josiah Heath combined as the Canisius went up 21-12. Manhertz drew contact on consecutive possessions and hit all four from the free throw line. Heath beat the shot clock with a baseline jumper.
Canisius finished the stanza scoring five in a row. Hymes went to the basket and got credit for the deuce on a goaltending call. Milian drained his second trey of the half with a pull up jumper from the top.
Gadson led the Broncs with eight points and seven rebounds through first 20 minutes. The junior forward connected on a pullup three to close an early gap at 8-6. Gadson then finished a traditional three-point play as Rider trailed 21-15.
Hymes paced the Griffs early in the second half to a ten-point lead.
The junior stole a Rider pass in transition, used a behind the back dribble to free himself of pressure before pulling up at the free throw line for a basket. Washington grabbed a long rebound at the defensive end and led Hymes into the open for a layup. By the time Hymes hit a jumper, the Griffs held a 44-34 lead.
Brandon Penn hit from the free throw line , and Gadson scored on a jump hook in the lane as Rider stayed close.
Gadson added nine rebounds to a game-high 19 points. The junior forward now ranks tenth all-time in rebounds for the Broncs.
Penn added a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards. Jeff Jones and Myles chipped in 10 and 12 respectively.
Manhertz and Washington scored 15 apiece. Washington notched his first career double-double grabbing 10 on the glass.
Milian added 11 with Hymes getting 10.
Rider improves to 8-6 in the MAAC and 11-15 overall. The Broncs play at Niagara on Saturday.
Canisius falls to 1-13 and 4-20. The Griffs host Siena Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 2PM at the KAC.
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