Wednesday, January 4
Buffalo, NY
7:00 PM
Quinnipiac University
5-9, 2-2MAAC
77
at
83
Canisius College
10-5, 3-1MAAC
1st half1
2nd half2
FinalF
Quinnipiac
36
41
77
Canisius
35
48
83
Canisius Edges QU Men's Basketball For Seventh Straight Win
1/4/2017 9:43:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Freshmen guards Peter Kiss (18 points - pictured) and Mikey Dixon (16 points) combined to score 34 points for the Bobcats, but the Canisius men's basketball team used a late push in the second half to take an 83-77 win, its seventh victory in a row, on Wednesday evening at the Koessler Athletic Center.
With the win, Canisius moves to 10-5 on the year and 3-1 in the MAAC, taking over sole possession of first place (ahead of four teams at 2-1). Quinnipiac falls to 5-9 overall and 2-2 in the MAAC after splitting its Buffalo trip with a comeback 81-78 win over Niagara on Monday and a close loss this evening.
The Bobcats had a one-point lead at the break and maintained its lead for the first 10 minutes of the second half. A three-point play from Dixon with 10:35 to play had the Bobcats ahead 59-54 before Cansius made its move, using a 9-0 run to take the lead for good on a three-pointer from reserve Spencer Foley and a layup from Malik Johnson to make it 63-59. Two foul shots from senior guard Daniel Harris (Tampa, Fla.) had Quinnipiac within 64-62 with 7:30 to go, but the Golden Griffins built the lead up to double digits at 77-66 on two foul shots from Isaiah Reese with 2:30 left.
Quinnipiac had one last frenetic rally in the final minute to have a chance at a big comeback, forcing three Canisius turnovers in the final 60 seconds after the Golden Griffins had committed only two the entire contest up until the end. A three-pointer from senior forward Alain Chigha (Yaounde, Cameroon) cut the lead to 81-77 with 25 seconds left, and after another turnover, Harris had a three-point attempt in the corner to try to cut it to one. However, the shot hit off the front rim and Canisius was able to get the defensive rebound and seal the game at the foul line.
The Bobcats used a 10-0 run in the first half to lead by as many as seven points, holding Canisius, the top scoring team in the MAAC coming in (80.3 ppg), without a point for a span of 5:42 to lead 29-23. A put back dunk for a three-point play from senior forward Donovan Smith (Chicago, Ill.) made the score 32-25 before Canisius rallied to go ahead 35-34 on a short jumper from Malik Johnson with 10 seconds left in the half. Freshman guard Mikey Dixon (New Castle, Del.) answered back at the other end with an 18-footer before the buzzer to give the Bobcats a 36-35 lead heading into intermission.
Kiefer Douse had 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead the way for Canisius, while Kassius Robertson had 17 points, Kiss scored his 18 points on 8-15 shooting, falling one shy of his career high set against Seton Hall. Senior forward Donovan Smith (Chicago, Ill.) had a strong all-around line with 10 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. Dixon's 16 points marked his 10th straight game of 14 or more, dating back to when he was held scoreless by Seton Hall on Nov. 25.
Quinnipiac will be back in action on Saturday when it hosts Manhattan for a 2 p.m. contest, which will be televised by Sportsnet New York (SNY).
With the win, Canisius moves to 10-5 on the year and 3-1 in the MAAC, taking over sole possession of first place (ahead of four teams at 2-1). Quinnipiac falls to 5-9 overall and 2-2 in the MAAC after splitting its Buffalo trip with a comeback 81-78 win over Niagara on Monday and a close loss this evening.
The Bobcats had a one-point lead at the break and maintained its lead for the first 10 minutes of the second half. A three-point play from Dixon with 10:35 to play had the Bobcats ahead 59-54 before Cansius made its move, using a 9-0 run to take the lead for good on a three-pointer from reserve Spencer Foley and a layup from Malik Johnson to make it 63-59. Two foul shots from senior guard Daniel Harris (Tampa, Fla.) had Quinnipiac within 64-62 with 7:30 to go, but the Golden Griffins built the lead up to double digits at 77-66 on two foul shots from Isaiah Reese with 2:30 left.
Quinnipiac had one last frenetic rally in the final minute to have a chance at a big comeback, forcing three Canisius turnovers in the final 60 seconds after the Golden Griffins had committed only two the entire contest up until the end. A three-pointer from senior forward Alain Chigha (Yaounde, Cameroon) cut the lead to 81-77 with 25 seconds left, and after another turnover, Harris had a three-point attempt in the corner to try to cut it to one. However, the shot hit off the front rim and Canisius was able to get the defensive rebound and seal the game at the foul line.
The Bobcats used a 10-0 run in the first half to lead by as many as seven points, holding Canisius, the top scoring team in the MAAC coming in (80.3 ppg), without a point for a span of 5:42 to lead 29-23. A put back dunk for a three-point play from senior forward Donovan Smith (Chicago, Ill.) made the score 32-25 before Canisius rallied to go ahead 35-34 on a short jumper from Malik Johnson with 10 seconds left in the half. Freshman guard Mikey Dixon (New Castle, Del.) answered back at the other end with an 18-footer before the buzzer to give the Bobcats a 36-35 lead heading into intermission.
Kiefer Douse had 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead the way for Canisius, while Kassius Robertson had 17 points, Kiss scored his 18 points on 8-15 shooting, falling one shy of his career high set against Seton Hall. Senior forward Donovan Smith (Chicago, Ill.) had a strong all-around line with 10 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. Dixon's 16 points marked his 10th straight game of 14 or more, dating back to when he was held scoreless by Seton Hall on Nov. 25.
Quinnipiac will be back in action on Saturday when it hosts Manhattan for a 2 p.m. contest, which will be televised by Sportsnet New York (SNY).
Team Stats
QUI
CAN
FG%
.449
.412
3FG%
.318
.333
FT%
.667
.704
RB
46
38
TO
17
5
STL
4
14
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
8
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
16
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
Forward
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