Courtesy of GoGriffs.com
BUFFALO, N.Y. — All 10 Canisius players scored at least two points, led by senior Jermaine Crumpton and his team-high 14, and sophomore Isaiah Reese recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, as the Golden Griffins defeated Quinnipiac 71-64 Saturday afternoon on Canisius Sports Hall of Fame Day in the Koessler Athletic Center. The win, Canisius’ 13th victory in its last 15 contests, improved the team to 17-9 overall and 11-2 in MAAC play, while the Bobcats, who dropped their fourth straight with the loss, fell to 9-17 overall and 6-8 in conference action.
Crumpton’s 14 points on Saturday were highlighted by his three 3-point field goals, and he also added three rebounds, three assists, a blocked shot and a steal to his final stat line in the win for the Blue and Gold. He moved into eighth-place on the school’s career scoring list, passing former Griffs great Hank Nowak. Reese’s double-double was his second this season, and the third in his career, and he also added seven assists and two steals to the winning effort. Fellow sophomore Malik Johnson scored 10 points, highlighted by an 8-for-8 effort at the free-throw line in the game’s final 1:31 to seal the victory for the Blue and Gold. As a team, Canisius shot 40.7 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from 3-point land and 73.7 percent from the charity stripe while turning 16 Quinnipiac turnovers into 23 points.
Quinnipiac was led by senior Cameron Young, who scored a game-high 16 points in the loss for the Bobcats. Fellow senior Chaise Daniels came off the bench and added 13 points, as he became the 39th player in Quinnipiac school history to reach the famed 1,000-career point milestone.
In a game that featured four ties and 12 lead changes, the Griffs broke the contest open with a 7-0 run over the span of 2:47 midway through the second half that turned a one-point Bobcat lead into an eight-point advantage for the Griffs at 45-37. Junior Marcale Lotts got the scoring run started with a one-handed jam from the baseline with 14:57 left to play to give Canisius a 38-37 lead, and then freshman Takal Molson pushed the Griffs’ margin to four at 41-37 moments later when he drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing. Canisius’ lead ballooned to as many as 14 with 3:48 left on the clock when Reese found a streaking Jibreel Faulkner for a highlight reel alley-oop in transition. That dunk put the Blue and Gold up 62-48.
Down the stretch, Johnson hit eight-straight free-throws for Canisius, as Faulkner’s dunk ended up being the Griffs’ final made field goal of the day. Faulkner finished the game with nine points, while Lotts added four points and four rebounds in 17 minutes of action. Molson posted seven points in the victory for Canisius, and sophomoreSpencer Foley added six points on the power of two made 3-pointers, as the Griffs scored their ninth home victory of the 2017-18 season.
Head Coach Reggie Witherspoon’s Postgame Comments
“I thought Quinnipiac really challenged our energy and effort for the first 24 minutes of the game. We couldn’t get enough energy going and to [Quinnipiac’s] credit, they played hard at both ends of the floor. Once we kicked it into gear a bit, I thought we started to find our flow. This was the type of game where you had to dig in to get a win. Credit to our guys for digging in and grinding this one out.”
Game Notes
• This was the 10th all-time meeting between the two schools, with Canisius holding a 7-3 advantage in the series.
• The Griffs’ nine home wins are the most for the program since 2014-15.
• This marks the first time Canisius has posted an 11-2 record in MAAC play. The College joined the MAAC prior to the 1989-90 academic year.
- With the win on Saturday, Canisius has clinched a first-round bye in next month’s MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship in Albany, N.Y.
• Crumpton has now scored 10-or more points in 22-straight games, dating back to Nov. 21, at Tennessee State.
• Reese’s two steals on Saturday gives at least one steal in the team’s last 18 contests.
• The eight free-throw makes for Johnson are a career-high.
• Johnson was also credited with a career-high two blocked shots in the victory for Canisius.
Up Next
Canisius closes out its three-game MAAC homestand on Monday, Feb. 12, when the team plays host to Fairfield in the Koessler Athletic Center. Game time is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN3. The radio call will be available on Buffalo’s WECK 1230-AM and 102.9-FM, GoGriffs.com and the TUNEIN app.
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