Courtesy of GoGriffs.com
Five Canisius players scored in double-figures, led by sophomore Kassius Robertson and his game-high 27 points, and the visiting Golden Griffins shot 50 percent from the field in the game’s final 20 minutes to post a 92-83 win at Marist Saturday night in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The win, Canisius’ fourth-straight, improved the Blue and Gold to 7-6 overall and 2-1 in MAAC play, while the Red Foxes fell to 4-8 overall and 1-2 in conference action.
Robertson’s 27 points came after he shot 8-for-12 from the field, 5-for-8 from 3-point land and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line to go with three rebounds and two steals in 35 minutes of action. Freshman guard Chris Atkinson came off the bench to score a career-high 15 points, while senior guard Malcolm McMillan added 14 points and a season-high eight assists. Junior Phil Valenti and sophomore Jermaine Crumpton added 12 points, each in the win, as Canisius improved to 9-4 under fourth-year head coach Jim Baron when scoring 90-plus points in a game.
Marist had four players scored in double-figures, led by junior Khallid Hart, who had a team-high 26 points in the losing effort. Freshman Kristinn Palsson added 18 points, while fellow freshman Brian Parker added 15 points.
Crumpton and senior Kevin Bleeker had six rebounds apiece in the win for the Griffs, which out rebounded Marist 37-30 on the night. Canisius scored 34 points in the paint, and the Griffs held a 30-7 advantage in points off the bench en route to the program’s first road win of the 2015-16 campaign.
How It Happened:
• Canisius took an early 16-9 lead with 15:43 left to play in the first half after Bleeker slammed one home and then hit a free-throw for a traditional three-point play. Bleeker scored all six of his points in the game’s first 4:18.
• Marist used an 11-3 run over the span of 1:52 to take a 20-19 lead with 13:19 left before halftime. In that run, nine of Marist’s 11 points came off three made 3-pointers, with Hart drilling two of those treys.
• The Griffs led by as many as eight points at 43-35 with 1:05 left before intermission after Atkinson hit a jumper from just outside the paint off an offensive rebound by Valenti. Marist scored the final seven points in the first half in 39 seconds to send the game into the break with Canisius leading 43-42.
• After Marist scored the first hoop of the second half to take a 44-42 lead just 45 seconds into the second stanza, Canisius regained the lead for good on a hoop by Valenti off an assist by Robertson with 18:15 left to play.
• Canisius led by just one at 49-48 with 14:03 left, but that was as close as the Red Foxes would get in the game, as Robertson quickly stretched Canisius’ hold to 55-48 with back-to-back 3-pointers on back-to-back Griff possessions.
• Marist was able to get within six at 82-76 on a 3-pointer by Hart, but the Blue and Gold was able to secure the win by going 10-for-12 from the free-throw line in the game’s final 52 seconds.
Beyond the Box Score:
• Canisius has had four or more players score in double-figures eight times this season and the team is 7-1 in those eight contests.
• Marist made 15 3-point field goals in the game, the most 3-pointers allowed by Canisius this season.
• Canisius shot 49.1 percent from the field in the win, the second-straight game where the Blue and Gold shot better than 45 percent from the field.
• McMillan’s seven trips to the free-throw line gives him 99 charity tosses this season, which is the most for any player in the MAAC.
• McMillan’s eight assists gives the senior five or more assists in a game 34 times in his career.
• Robertson matched a career-high with five 3-pointers, the second time in the team’s last three games where he’s nailed five treys.
Quotes from Canisius coach Jim Baron
“This was a heck of an effort all around here tonight. I thought we did a really good job moving the basketball and getting open shots. Give Marist credit, they were taking advantage of some open looks from 3-point range. That’s a talented team that can score the basketball.”
“Kassius [Robertson] keeps getting better and better for us. He was in a good flow tonight and give Malcolm McMillan a lot of credit for finding guys in transition for baskets.”
“This is a good road win for us. Anytime you go on the road in the league, you have to be ready to go. There’s no easy nights in league play. I’m proud of the effort we got tonight, and now it’s time to get some rest and travel down to Monmouth.”
Additional Game Notes:
• This was the 42nd all-time meeting between the two schools, with Canisius holding a 25-17 lead in the series.
• The Griffs have now won three of their four trips to Poughkeepsie, N.Y., under Baron. The win on Saturday is the program’s 10th victory all-time in McCann Arena.
• Canisius’ four-game winning streak is the program’s longest since Jan. 22-Feb. 1, 2014.
• The road win was Canisius’ first since March 21, 2015 when the Blue and Gold beat Bowling Green on the road in the second round of the CIT.
• Robertson has scored 20-plus points in three-straight games for the first time in his career.
• The victory on Saturday is head coach Jim Baron’s 455 career win, and it also improved Canisius to 38-23 in the last four years in MAAC play.
Up Next: Canisius will travel to Monmouth on Monday, Jan. 4, to close the regular-season series with the Hawks. Game time in West Long Branch, N.J., is set for 7 p.m., and the game can be seen live on ESPN3. The radio call will be on Timeless WECK 1230-AM and 102.9-FM in Buffalo and through GoGriffs.com.
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