Canisius Picks up First Conference Win

On a stormy and blistery day in cold Buffalo, New York, the Golden Griffins of Canisius College put their talents on display and picked up their first conference win of the season, defeating the Marist Red Foxes 67-57 at the Koessler Center.

Canisius was lead by strong offensive performances from guards Gabby Belardo and Alshwan Hymes who had very similar nights.

Belardo and Hymes both scored 18 points with 4 rebounds, going 4-9 from beyond the arch. The mere difference was Belardo shooting 7-14 from the floor while Hymes took one less shot and went 7-13.

The game started off hot for the Griffs as they scored the first five points of the game but that was quickly answered by an 11-0 Marist run. Canisius didn't let that Marist lead stay on the board long as they used a run of their own to regain the lead at 15-13, and 24-17.

They stretched that lead to as many as 14 and took a 12 point, 35-23 lead into halftime.

The Golden Griffins did not let up to start the half as they kept their foot on the gas and cruised to a 67-57 win but it was never really that close.

Chris Manhertz was a dominant force on the glass tonight, especially on the offensive side for the Griffs. He racked up 15 rebounds, 8 of which were offensive boards. The conference's third leading scorer, Harold Washington, didn't have his best scoring night but he did total 8 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds. Kevin Bleeker added 10 points and 8 rebounds off of the bench for Canisius.

Marist was lead by Anell Alexis, Isaiah Morton, and Chavaughn Lewis, all of which had 11 points.

With the win, the Griffs improve to 4-12 (1-5 MAAC) and will look to gain their first winning streak of the year when they host Saint Peters, Sunday at 2:00pm.