Final Run Goes To Canisius As Golden Griffins Edge QU Men's Basketball

Sunday, January 17

Hamden, CT

2:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

5-11, 2-5MAAC

Canisius College

9-10, 4-4MAAC

Canisius

Quinnipiac

Final Run Goes To Canisius As Golden Griffins Edge QU Men's Basketball

1/17/2016 4:27:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: QU Sports Information

HAMDEN, Conn. - In a game full of scoring runs, the Canisius men's basketball team made the final one count, closing out on a 9-0 run in the final 1:30 to take a 63-53 win over Quinnipiac on Sunday afternoon at TD Bank Sports Center.

Jermaine Crumpton scored 15 of his game-high 17 points in the second half for Canisius, which improves to 9-10 overall and 4-4 in the MAAC with the win. Quinnipiac sees its record fall to 5-11 overall and 2-5 in conference play with the loss.

Sophomore guard Ayron Hutton (Virginia Beach, Va.) had a season high 15 points for the Bobcats in the loss, while junior guard Daniel Harris (Tampa, Fla. - pictured) had 14 while shooting 4-4 from the floor in the second half (3-3 from three-point territory). Harris (11) and Hutton (10) had 21 of Quinnipiac's 27 points in the second stanza.

Harris kick-started the final run for the Bobcats as Quinnipiac answered a 10-0 run from Canisius with a 10-0 run of its own to pull back within 51-50 with 3:16 to play. Harris hit a three-pointer on a kickout pass from freshman forward Abdulai Bundu (Upper Marlboro, Md.) with 7:49 to play right after a fast break dunk from Keifer Douse had given the Golden Griffins their largest lead at 51-40. The Bobcats then switched to a 1-3-1 zone, which held Canisius scoreless for five minutes, and Harris knocked down another three after a stop to cut the lead to five at 51-46.

Hutton then scored the next four Quinnipiac points to close within 51-50 with 3:16 left, capping off the 10-0 run with a foul shot. Crumpton ended the run with a three-pointer with 2:50 to go, but Hutton answered right back with a three-pointer at the 2:32 mark to once again make it a one-point game. After a stop, the Bobcats had a chance to take the lead in the final two minutes, but junior forward Donovan Smith (Chicago, Ill.) had his jumper in the paint rim out. Canisius secured the defensive rebound, and with the shot clock winding down, Chris Atkinson knocked down the biggest shot of the game, a 23-foot three-pointer from the top of the key, to put the Golden Griffins ahead by four with 1:24 left.

Quinnipiac had three chances to get it closer, but were unable to convert on two shots in the paint and a three-pointer in the corner from senior guard Giovanni McLean (Bronx, N.Y.). Canisius then wrapped up the game with four foul shots and a fast break lay-up from Phil Valenti in the final 40 seconds to push the final margin up to 10.

The game also started out with quick runs, as Canisius opened up the game with an 8-0 run on two three-pointers and a layup in the first two minutes. Quinnipiac buckled down, though, and came back to tie the score 8-8 by holding the Golden Griffins scoreless over a span of six minutes before Hutton tied the score on a jumper. The Golden Griffins came right back with a 9-0 run to take a 17-8 lead, but the Bobcats answered that with a 14-4 run, capped off by a Harris three-pointer, to take their first lead of the game at 22-21 with 3:45 left in the half, before Canisius went into the locker room with a 29-26 lead.

Kassius Robertson was also in double figures for the Golden Griffins with 11 points, while Atkinson finished with 10, including his big three-pointer late. McLean had 10 points for the Bobcats, all in the first half. Quinnipiac held Canisius to 63 points, 18 below their average, as the Bobcats continued to defend well at home, where they came in holding opponents to 62.7 points on 35.7 percent shooting. The Bobcats also held a 42-33 advantage on the boards, bouncing back from being outrebounded by Siena on Friday for only the fifth time in the last four years. Quinnipiac is now 100-5-4 on the glass in the 109 games since the start of the 2012-13 season.

The Bobcats will return to action on Sunday when they travel to face Rider for a MAAC road contest at 4 p.m. Quinnipiac won the first meeting at home between the teams 64-60 back on Jan. 4.