Gaby Belardo’s two assists on Sunday gives him 170 in his career, and his two steals gives him at least one swipe in eight of the team’s last nine outings. (Photo courtesy of Tom Wolf imaging)

Courtesy of GoGriffs.com.

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Loyola (Md.) senior forward Shane Walker posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds and three other Greyhound players scored in double figures as Loyola defeated Canisius College 70-52 Sunday afternoon on Hall of Fame Day in the Koessler Athletic Center. The win improves Loyola to 16-5 overall and 9-2 in MAAC play, while the Golden Griffins slipped to 4-17 overall and 1-10 in league action.

Junior guard Alshwan Hymes led all Canisius scorers with 12 points and he also matched a career-high with seven rebounds. Fellow junior Gaby Belardo chipped in nine points, while Harold Washington and sophomore Chris Manhertz were good for eight points apiece. Washington added five rebounds and a team-high five assists in the loss for the Blue and Gold, the team’s fifth-straight defeat.

Walker went 6-for-12 from the field and 5-for-6 from the free-throw line in the win, with six of his game-high 11 rebounds coming off the offensive glass. Junior Erik Etherly posted 15 points and five assists for the Greyhounds, while sophomore Justin Drummond and junior Robert Olson posted 14 and 13 points, respectively. Loyola shot 43.3 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point land and ended the game with a 43-27 advantage on the glass, with 22 of those rebounds coming at the offensive end of the floor.

The Griffs led by as many as seven in the early part of the first half and held a 22-16 lead with 8:02 left before the break after sophomore David Santiago scored on a coast-to-coast drive and layup. From there, the Blue and Gold would go cold from the field, and Loyola took advantage, outscoring the Griffs 12-0 over the final 8:02 of the half to take a 28-22 lead into the locker room at the break. Out of halftime, Loyola continued its push forward with a 12-2 run in the first 4:02 of the second stanza to drive its cushion to 40-24 with 15:58 left on the clock.

Canisius was able to whittle Loyola’s margin to nine at 44-35 with 11:54 left in regulation time on a jumper by Belardo from just outside of the key, but a traditional three-point play by Drummond and a 12-foot baseline jumper from Walker pushed Loyola’s lead back to double-digits at 48-36. A 3-pointer from Hymes and a jumper from Belardo got Canisius within eight points at 51-43 with 9:37 showing on the clock, but the ‘Hounds answered the bell once again and took the game over with an 8-2 run over the next 2:43 en route to securing the game.

“You can’t fault the effort today, our guys played really hard, but at the end of the day, it is a 40-minute game, not a 30-minute game,” Canisius head coach Tom Parrotta said. “We’ve been trying to do some different things defensively to keep teams off balance and I think we did a good job with that, but our top three scorers were 3-for-21 in the first half, which makes it tough. The fact we were only down six at halftime was in large part because we kept playing hard. I don’t like the outcome, but I’m proud of the effort our guys gave today. It is the same effort we get in practice everyday.”

Freshman guard Franklin Milian matched a career-high with seven points in his second career start, while freshman Josiah Heath added six points, three rebounds and three blocked shots to the Canisius effort. The Blue and Gold shot 40.7 percent from the field and 23.5 percent from 3-point land for the game. In the game’s final 20 minutes, the Griffs shot 52 percent from the floor, going 13-for-25 as a team.

Canisius will head back on the road next weekend, starting Thursday, Feb. 2, when the team plays at Iona in New Rochelle, N.Y. That game will be the MAAC’s National Game of the Week and can be seen exclusively on ESPN3. Tipoff in the Hynes Center is set for 7 p.m.

Game Notes: This was the 57^th all-time meeting between these two Jesuit schools, with Canisius holding a 34-22 lead in the series… Loyola swept the regular-season series, the Greyhounds’ first sweep of the Griffs since the 2007-08 campaign… Hymes’ two made 3-pointers gives him 148 for his career, which ranks fifth all-time in school history… Hymes played in his 75^th career game on Sunday, which leads all active players… Heath matched a career-high with three blocks, the third time this season he’s been credited with three blocks in a game… Belardo’s two assists on Sunday gives him 170 in his career, and his two steals gives him at least one swipe in eight of the team’s last nine outings.

Harold Washington (Courtesy of GoGriffs.com)

Courtesy of GoGriffs.com.

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The Canisius College men’s basketball team outscored Saint Peter’s by a 13-3 count over a span of 1:19 in the closing moments of the game, but it was not enough to lift the Golden Griffins to victory as the host Peacocks defeated the Blue and Gold 65-61 Thursday night in the Yanitelli Center in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action. The win snapped Saint Peter’s losing streak at eight and improved the team to 3-12 overall and 2-2 in MAAC play, while Canisius slipped to 3-11 overall and 0-4 in conference action.

The Griffs trailed by a score of 59-48 with 2:10 left in the contest, but trimmed the score to 62-61 with a furious rally that featured 13 points by junior Harold Washington. Washington got the scoring run started with a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:44 left on the clock, and then he added jumper and four-straight free-throws to make the score 61-57 with 49 seconds left in regulation time. Saint Peter’s made one of two free-throws moments later to push the score to 62-57, but Washington made lay-ups on back-to-back possessions to make the score 62-61 with 25 seconds left. After Saint Peter’s guard Brandon Hall hit two at the charity stripe to make the score 64-61, the Griffs had a chance to knot the game with four seconds left, but a 3-point attempt fell short and Saint Peter’s was able to secure the win.

For Canisius, junior Alshwan Hymes had a game-high 15 points, all in the second half, after he went 5-for-11 from the field, 1-for-5 from 3-point land and 2-for-3 from the free-throw line. Washington chipped in 14 points, all in the second half as well, while junior Gaby Belardo was good for 13 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Sophomore Chris Manhertz had a team-high 11 rebounds in the loss for the Griffs, who shot 37.9 percent from the field, 30 percent from long range and 68.8 percent from the free-throw line on the night.

Freshman Lamin Fulton posted a team-high 14 points for the Peacocks, who shot 42.9 percent from the floor, 31.6 percent from 3-point range and 52.4 percent from the charity stripe. Guard Chris Prescott chipped in 12 points in the victory, while Chris Burke registered nine points and 11 rebounds.

“I thought we gave a really good effort down the stretch, but obviously this game was not lost in the closing minutes of the game,” Canisius head coach Tom Parrotta said. “We had some open looks in the first half that we were not able to convert and we had a few turnovers creep back into things that hurt as well. When we had our backs to the wall and we battled, but we just were not able to get over the hump.”

The Griffs will close out their three-game MAAC road swing Saturday, Jan. 7 when the team plays at Loyola (Md.). Tipoff in Baltimore is set for noon.

Game Notes: This was the 66th all-time meeting between the two Jesuit schools, with Canisius holding a 36-30 lead in the series… The Peacocks have now won five-straight at home in this series… Belardo returned to the starting lineup for the first time since the team played at UNLV Nov. 17… Washington’s 14 points gives him double figures in the scoring column in all 14 games this year… Manhertz is averaging 12.5 rebounds per game in four MAAC contests this season… Hymes has now hit at least one 3-point field goal in 50 games through his career… Sophomore Reggie Groves played in his 50th career game Thursday night.

Alshwan Hymes (Photo courtesy of Canisius athletics)

FARMVILLE, VA. – Canisius junior Harold Washington had a career-high 30 points and junior Alshwan Hymes added 24 points on five 3-pointers as the Golden Griffins went on the road and defeated Longwood 87-83 Tuesday night in Willett Hall in Farmville, Va. The win improves Canisius to 1-1 on the year, while the Lancers slipped to 1-2 with the loss.

Washington finished the night shooting 13-for-21 from the field, 2-for-6 from 3-point land and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line to go with five rebounds and three assists. The Brandywine, Md., native had 21 of his game-high 30 in the second half, including a stretch where he posted 13 of the Griffs’ 15 points in the later stages of the contest. Hymes went 9-for-18 from the field and 5-for-11 from behind the 3-point arc while adding five rebounds, three assists and a steal. Sophomore Chris Manhertz chipped in 12 points and nine rebounds in the win for the Blue and Gold.

“This was a quality win in a very hostile environment,” Canisius head coach Tom Parrotta said. “We got contributions from a lot of guys, and that’s what you need to do when you go on the road at this level.”

Jeremiah Bowman scored 27 points and dished out five assists in the loss for the Lancers. Forward Antwan Carter was good for 21 points and 15 rebounds for Longwood, but Canisius controlled the boards overall, posting a final rebounding cushion of 46-33 at the end of the night.

The Griffs trailed 73-71 before Washington hit a 15-foot jumper with 3:51 left to play to knot the game at 73-73. From there, the Blue and Gold scored the game’s next six points, all by Washington, in a span of 1:54 to push its lead to 79-73 with 1:36 left in the game. Longwood would cut Canisius’ hold to three at 79-76 when Carter hit a 3-pointer from the corner with 1:16 left, but Washington answered with another jumper from the top of the key to give the Griffs get a lead they would not give back.

Canisius will continue its four-game road swing Thursday, Nov. 17, when the team plays at UNLV. Game time in the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev., is set for 10 p.m., Eastern.

Game Notes: This was the first meeting between the two schools… Canisius is now 7-4 under Parrotta when meeting a team for the first time in school history… The win was the 1,175th in school history… Washington is the first Griff to score 30-or more points on the road since Frank Turner had 30 in a win over Southern Miss Dec. 22, 2009… Freshman Franklin Milian came off the bench and scored his first six career points, all in the first half… Senior Marial Dhal had a career-high four rebounds for the Griffs in the win.

Chris Manhertz scored a career-high 16 and corraled 9 rebounds. (Photo courtesy of Canisius athletics)

Canisius (0-1) was led by junior guard Harold Washington, who scored 23 points in his first game as a Golden Griffin after he went 11-for-17 from the field and 1-for-1 from the free-throw line. Sophomore Chris Manhertz posted a career-high 16 points to go with nine rebounds and three blocks, while junior guard Alshwan Hymes chipped in 15 points and six boards. Fellow junior Gaby Belardo had 11 points and a team-high four assists and freshman Josiah Heath was good for four points and nine rebounds in his first collegiate game.

The Griffs trailed by six at 70-64 with 4:48 left in the game before Manhertz hit a jumper and Belardo drilled a trey from the top of the key to make the score 70-69 in favor of James Madison with 3:24 left in the game. From there, the Dukes scored eight-straight points in a span of 1:57, with Hitchens and Davis accounting for all eight of those points. Davis, who sat out 2010-11 after transferring from Wyoming, capped the run with a dunk with just 1:09 left in the contest.

Canisius got the Dukes’ hold down to five at 78-73 with 20 seconds left, but Hitchens and Davis went 4-for-4 from the charity stripe down the stretch to seal the win for JMU (1-0).

“We played really hard today against a very good team from a very good conference and should have won the ballgame,” Canisius coach Tom Parrotta said. “We had opportunities and good looks at the hoop and the shots didn’t go down. That being said, we played the way from an aggressive and toughness perspective that I am excited about.”

The Griffs trailed by as many as nine midway through the first half, but battled back and took a 26-25 led with 6:27 left before the break on a Manhertz jumper from just outside the paint. The Blue and Gold led 40-37 at the break and by as many as six in the second half before the Dukes fought back to take a 51-48 lead with 13:07 left in the game. From there, the game was tied five different times before James Madison pushed its hold to six at 70-64 following a jumper by Trevon Flores with 4:48 left to play.

Canisius will continue its four-game road swing to start the year Tuesday when the team plays at Longwood. Tipoff in Farmville, Va., is set for 7 p.m.  The game can be seen live on Time Warner SportsNet in New York state and on FOX College Sports and MASN through DirectTV.

Game Notes: This marked the second all-time meeting between Canisius and James Madison, with each team winning on its home court… Washington’s 23 points in his first game as a Griff stand as the most for a Canisius player in their debut in more than 20 years… Manhertz’s previous career-high for points in a game was six, set Dec. 3, 2010 at Iona in his only other career start… Hymes scored the Griffs’ first points of the season with a lay-up 47 seconds into the game – the second time in his career he’s scored the team’s first basket of the season (also scored the first points for the Blue and Gold against Loyola (Chicago) in the 2009-10 season opener.

Gaby Belardo (Photo courtesy of Canisius athletics_

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Canisius College junior Gaby Belardo was named to the Preseason All-MAAC Second Team at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Preseason Awards Show at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Tuesday. The Golden Griffin men’s basketball team was voted ninth in the preseason coaches’ poll.

Belardo is the team’s leading returning scorer, as the San Juan, Puerto Rico, native averaged 10.3 points per game during his first season with the Golden Griffins. The 6-foor-2 guard made 26 starts and totaled double figures in 10 of the team’s last 15 games. Belardo ranked sixth in the MAAC with a 3.9 assists per game average and led the team in minutes per game (30.6) and with 41 steals, which ranked eighth in the conference.

Canisius received 23 points to finish ninth in the preseason coaches poll. Iona College received eight of the 10 first-place votes to receive 97 points while Fairfield received the other two first-place votes to earn 92 votes. Loyola (76) was third, followed by Rider (71), Saint Peter’s (52), Siena (44), Niagara (42) and Manhattan (33). Marist received 18 points to finish 10th.

“As a group, we are not at all comfortable with where we are picked,” Canisius head coach Tom Parrotta said. “The important thing to remember is that this is a preseason poll and we can do something about these predictions. I am certain that this will prove to be motivation for this new group as we start this new chapter at Canisius.”

Canisius begins the 2011-12 season on Sunday, Nov. 13, when the Golden Griffins play at James Madison. Game time in Harrisonburg, Va. is set for 2 p.m.

GoGriffs.com

BUFFALO, N.Y.

The five members of the recruiting class that will be on the Blue and Gold’s active roster next season include Jose Agosto (Gatlinburg, Tenn.), Kevin Bleeker (Alkmaar, Netherlands), Josiah Heath (Rochester, N.Y.), Franklin Milian (La Vega, Dominican Republic) and Harold Washington (Brandywine, Md.).

“I am excited about this class on a number of levels,” Parrotta said. “This group builds on the solid foundation we’ve established at Canisius and the potential this group holds is extremely exciting. I think we’ve also addressed needs that are very important for success in this conference. Size, shooting and depth are some of the things we zeroed in on through this recruiting process and I think we’ve satisfied those areas.”

Asprilla, who played in 16 games at Kansas State during the 2010-11 campaign, will sit out one year in accordance with NCAA transfer rules. The 6-foot-10, 280-pound center averaged 4.9 points and 4.9 rebounds for the Wildcats, while shooting 50 percent from the field to go with 10 assists, 17 blocked shots and seven steals. In 2008-09, he played in 23 games for Florida International, where he averaged 13.7 points per game and shot 53.2 percent from the field en route to being named the Sun Belt Conference Rookie of the Year. He was also named third-team All-Sun Belt Conference in his true freshman season after he posted 17.3 points and 11.4 rebounds per game for the Panthers in conference play.

Agosto is a 6-foot-6, 215-pound forward that helped lead the Gatlinburg-Pittman High School Highlanders to a 24-5 overall record last season and a No. 2 ranking in the Associated Press Tennessee High School basketball poll. He averaged 16 points and 9.6 rebounds per game in his senior campaign and closed out the year shooting 62 percent from the field, 37 percent from 3-point land and 79 percent from the free-throw line. Considered a tough rebounder at both ends of the floor, Agosto is strong and skilled on the block and can knock down the mid-range jump shot.

Bleeker is a 6-foot-10 center from Alkmaar, Netherlands that plays for BV Noordkop. A member of the Dutch Under-18 team, Bleeker recently took part in the 16^th annual Holland Nordic Basketball Tournament April 22-25.

Heath joins the Golden Griffins after he averaged 21.7 points and 16.6 rebounds per game during his senior season at Irondequoit High School. The 6-foot-9, 230-pound forward was named the Greater Rochester Player of the Year by the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle after he helped lead the Eagles to the school’s first Section V championship in 66 years. In the sectional championship game against Greece-Athena High School, Heath scored 27 points and pulled down 27 rebounds to earn Section V MVP honors.

Milian led Our Savior New American School in scoring and rebounding last season after he posted 18 points and eight rebounds per game. A 6-foot-4 guard with a good handle and strong rebounding ability, Milian comes from the same high school program that produced current Canisius center Marial Dhal.

Sosa will join the Canisius program after playing the last three years at Central Florida. During the 2010-11 campaign, he played in 33 contests and ranked third on the roster with eight points per game, while ranking sixth in Conference USA play by hitting 39.2 percent of his attempts from behind the 3-point arc. A two-time Conference USA All-Academic Team honoree, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound guard leaves the Central Florida program with 190 career 3-point field goals, which ranks fourth in the school’s record book.

Washington averaged 13 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game last season while shooting 49 percent from the field and 34 percent from behind the 3-point line at Cecil College in North East, Md. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound guard helped lead the Seahawks to a sixth-place finish at the NJCAA National Tournament in March after he was named a Junior College Division II First-Team All-American following the 2009-10 season.

“Realizing that we are losing a lot of experience, we’ve added some very talented transfer student-athletes,” Parrotta said. “Asprilla and Sosa both have produced at high levels and will further deepen our roster when they become eligible in 2012-13. We are looking forward to working with all these new faces and getting them to compete at a high level. Although it has taken some time, we are now in a position to attract some very good talent to Canisius College.”

Parrotta also announced that junior forward Rokas Gricius and freshman guard Ashton Khan will not return to the roster next season. Gricius played in 25 career games for the Griffs and holds the honor of being the first Lithuanian-born player in school history to score a point for the Blue and Gold. He will graduate from the College this spring and is currently pursuing his master’s degree in sport administration at Canisius. Khan played in 15 games during his freshman campaign.

“Rokas is currently pursuing some opportunities presented to him in the professional work world, and I’m very proud of the effort he gave to this program, both on and off the court. Ashton and I mutually agreed that he should pursue other options. We’re helping him in his search to find a school that will give him an opportunity to continue his education and play a more pivotal role on the court.  I wish both of those guys nothing but the best as they move forward.”

Canisius seniors featured in Final Four game program

The Canisius College men’s basketball senior class of 2011 was recently featured in the official 2011 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four Championship Program, which was held in Houston April 2-4. The five seniors were recognized in a photo essay highlighting the group’s early graduation accomplishments.

The five seniors, Julius Coles, Elton Frazier, Robert Goldsberry, Greg Logins and Tomas Vazquez-Simmons, were photographed on the Koessler Athletic Center court in full game uniform while wearing graduation caps by Tom Wolf. IMG College, which produces the official NCAA Final Four game program, wrote a 300-word essay explaining the group’s success in the classroom and told the story of how the Griffs all earned their undergraduate degrees in just three years.

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Former Griffs making waves overseas

Three former Canisius College men’s basketball players, Darren Fenn, Frank Turner and Darnell Wilson, are currently in the middle of their professional seasons in three different leagues in Europe. All three players are averaging double figures in the scoring column, and all three are currently key parts on teams with winning records.

On a recent recruiting trip to Holland, Canisius head coach Tom Parrotta got the chance to see Turner in action with his professional squad, Eiffel Towers Den Bosch. Turner is averaging 12.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game in his first pro season, and his team is in third place in the league’s standings with a 25-10 record.

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Fairfield listed as a mid-major with Final Four potential

FAIRFIELD, Conn. — For the fourth time in the last six seasons, a mid-major program reached the pinnacle in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament with a Final Four appearance. That note did not escape foxsports.com writer Thayer Evans in his recent article for the web site. In fact, he listed four mid-major programs that he thought would have the potential to reach next year’s Final Four in New Orleans.

Fairfield University was listed among that short list, joining Butler University, Creighton University, and George Mason University. Thayer tabbed guard Derek Needham and forward Rakim Sanders as two of the reasons for the possibility, calling both players one of the top players in the nation at their respective position.

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Iona adds a pair for 2011-12

NEW ROCHELLE, NY – Iona College men’s basketball head coach Tim Cluess announced the addition of two players for the 2011-12 campaign. Forwards Nyandigisi Moikubo (Seattle, WA / Cochise College (Ariz.) / Rainier Beach HS) and Taaj Ridley (Bronx, NY / Lawson State CC (Ala.) / John F. Kennedy HS) have signed National Letters of Intent to play at Iona next season.

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Cai, Hubbard, Williams sign NLIs with Loyola

BALTIMORE – Loyola University Maryland Head Men’s Basketball Coach Jimmy Patsos announced today that Chen “David” Cai, Tyler Hubbard and R.J. Williams have signed National Letters of Intent and will join the Greyhounds on the court for the 2011-2012 season.

Williams is a local product from St. Frances Academy, and Hubbard hails from suburban Washington D.C. where he played at Montrose Christian School. The duo will give the Greyhounds eight players from the fertile recruiting grounds of Maryland and Northern Virginia on next year’s roster.

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Curry and Lewis sign with Marist

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Marist head men’s basketball coach Chuck Martin announced the signings of Chavaughn Lewis and T.J. Curry to National Letters of Intent on Thursday. Lewis and Curry are both New York City natives who will join the program as true freshmen for the 2011-12 season.

“We’re really excited to have both Chavaughn and T.J. join our family at Marist,” Martin said. “We’re excited to have two quality young men from great families who come from programs with great tradition and history in Christ the King and St. Mary’s Manhasset. They come from winning programs.”

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Marist to play in 2011 Basketball Hall-of-Fame Tipoff Tournament

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Marist men’s basketball team will be participating in the Basketball Hall of Fame 2011 Tip-Off Tournament, it was announced Wednesday by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Red Foxes will play four games as part of the tournament, including two at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

In the Campus Round portion of the tournament, Marist will open up at Kentucky of the Southeastern Conference on Friday, Nov. 11. That contest will mark the second meeting between Marist Head Coach Chuck Martin and Kentucky Head Coach John Calipari. Martin was an assistant on Calipari’s staff at Memphis from 2006-08. The Red Foxes will then play at South Florida of the Big East Conference on Monday, Nov. 14.

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Rider’s Stewart named Mid-Major Freshman All-American

BOSTON, MA–The 2011 Mid-Major Freshmen All-America team was announced Tuesday and Rider University forward Daniel Stewart was named to it.

Rather selecting a first, second, third team and honorable mentions; the Mid-Major Freshmen All-America squad is just one team.

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Coming soon

Stay tuned for the first annual Pickin’ Splinters rundown on the MAAC’s incoming class. Fans can get an in-depth look at all the new student-athletes to play next season in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

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By Paul Casey Gotham

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Scott Machado stood at the top of the key shaking his head. To his left, Jermel Jenkins extended his arms in a gesture of disbelief. Under the basket, Mike Glover was doubled over clutching his shorts.

Not exactly the picture one would expect from a first-place team in the final moments of a conference game.

Gaby Belardo finished a pair of lay ups late, Greg Logins netted a career-high 30 points and a relentless Golden Griffin defense led to a 75-73 victory over the Iona Gaels in Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference action at the Koessler Athletic Center, Sunday.

Logins paced Canisius with 22 second-half points. The senior forward hit 8 of 10 from the field including four from behind the arc as Canisius rebounded from a four-point halftime deficit.

“This kid just went ballistic,” said Canisius coach Tom Parrotta motioning to Logins. “It was like a heavyweight fight. He couldn’t breathe. He was cramping. He was on the sidelines. He went in and did what he had to do.”

From the inside and the outside, Logins opened the second stanza scoring Griffs’ first seven. Robert Goldsberry hit Logins at the foul line, and the Sodus, New York native caught and shot. On the next trip, Goldsberry found Logins in transition and the 6’7″ forward connected from behind the arc on the left side.

Elton Frazier missed a pull-up jumper, and the Griff front court took turns keeping the ball alive in a scramble before Logins secured it and finished over the outstretched arms of an Iona defender.

After employing a 1-2-2 three-quarter court press back to a 2-3 zone, Iona switched to man-to-man early in the half, and Glover drew the assignment of chasing Logins.

Logins connected twice from long range then he went into the post and sealed Glover, and Julius Coles delivered a lob for 66-63 lead with 2:33 remaining.

“He can go on tears,” Parrotta said of Logins. “And what an opportune time to go on a tear. He was clearly, clearly on fire, and the guys got him the basketball. It’s a nice luxury to move him around the perimeter because most people say ‘get him inside, get him inside, get him inside,’ but he’s six-for-seven from three. That’s a wonderful luxury to have.”

“He made everything he threw up,” Iona coach, Tim Cluess said of Logins. He made almost every single shot where he was open on.”

With the shot clock running down, Coles crossed over from the top of the key and finished with a lay up from the right side, and Canisius led 68-63.

Machado answered with a jumper at the other end. Jenkins got a steal and led Machado for a lay up, and the Griffs led by one.

Iona called a timeout with 45 seconds remaining to set up a full-court press. Canisius put four players across foul-line extended. Frazier cut to the ball while Belardo released. Instinctively, Frazier sent a pass ahead that Belardo gathered in and finished.

Iona was not done.

Machado broke free for a lay up, but Coles blocked the attempt. Frazier grabbed the rebound and was quickly fouled. The senior forward hit both free throws for a five-point lead.

Sean Armand responded for the Gaels with a three.

Iona pressed again, and, again, Belardo broke free. This time, Coles fed the Canisius point guard into the open for the basket.

“We didn’t have a timeout,” Parrotta noted. “These guys (Coles and Belardo) had the presence of mind.

Machado came into the game leading the nation with 8.1 assists per game, and Glover averaging 20 points and 10.8 rebounds. Machado dished out 11 assists, and Glover had 39 points and 14 rebounds when the Gaels defeated Griffs 94-85 earlier this season. On Sunday, the Iona point guard finished with five assists and three turnovers. Glover scored 11 points.

“We obviously watched what he (Glover) did to us the first time,” Parrotta explained. “We thought we had the personnel to go one-on-one with him because we were very, very concerned with Machado the first time, that is, getting into the lane and finding those three point shooters.  They’re fanstastic. We said we’ll stay closed on the people on the perimeter, and try to keep Machado in front of us and try to jab at him to force him to finish over the top. He is more comfortable dishing. That’s why he leads the nation in assists.”

Glover finished 4-of-11 from the field – his worst shooting performance of the season to date.

“We never left him (Glover),” Parrotta said. ” Elton was never in help. He stay connected to him. That cuts down his aggressiveness for alley oops, drop-off passes and offensive rebounds.”

Logins is the first Griffin to score 30 points in a game since Corey Herring scored 32 against Fairfield on 1/29/06. His 22 points in the second stanza was the most points in a half since Chcuk Harris poured in 20 versus Marist 12/8/06.

Coles, Frazier and Goldsberry all accounted for five assists apiece. Canisius blocked a total of nine shots with Tomas Vazquez-Simmons rejecting three. The senior now has 259 career blocks.

Coles scored 12 with Frazier and Belardo each accounting for 11.

The win was a reversal of fortunes for a Canisius team that has dropped three consecutive single-digit games. Canisius lost to Rider at the buzzer 77-76 on January ninth. Eight days later, the Griffs fell 73-69 to Siena at the Times-Union Center. Fairfield downed the Griffs by seven on Friday.

With the win, Canisius improves to 3-6 in the MAAC and 9-10 overall. Iona falls to 7-2 and 13-7.

The Gaels will host Rider, Friday. Niagara visits the KAC for a 7 p.m. tip off.

Julius Coles battles Derek Needham for rebounding position. Photo by Fr. J. Bucki

By Paul Casey Gotham

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Tom Parrotta and the Canisius Golden Griffins know all too well the discomforts that come with the quest for self-awareness.

In the past twelve days, Parrotta and his Golden Griffins have had the chance to learn how they measure up with the top of the Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference. After three close losses the Griffs know what is within their reach.

Derek Needham scored a game-high 19 points, and the Fairfield Stags won the war on the boards defeating the Griffs 67-60 in MAAC action Friday night at the Koessler Athletic Center.

Chris Manhertz gave the Griffs a 47-44 edge with 11:37 remaining. The freshman took a pass from Alshwan Hymes and muscled through Fairfield’s Ryan Olander and Keith Matthews. After trailing for much of the first half, the Griffs looked poised to knock off the first-place Stags. The Blue and Gold had sustained an early surge, and Hymes exposed the Fairfield defense with his drive into the paint and dish to Manhertz.

The Stags responded with a 12-0 run over the next nine minutes.

“We got good shots around the basket. Just couldn’t get one to fall,” Parrotta commented. “I thought our defense was good at the other end. They didn’t score either. I think their first point in that stretch was a free throw. The one stat that we talked about over and over again is the rebounding. We gave up 18 offensive rebounds and got out-rebounded on the whole by 15, and you lose to the first-place team by seven.”

Fairfield used the advantage on the boards to score seven second-chance points in the first half to none for the Griffs. Canisius responded after the break with a 15-4 edge in second opportunities. But the Stags’ tenacity on the offensive glass resulted in a 15-11 difference at the free throw line.

“You can’t give a team 18 offensive rebounds. It’s totally unacceptable.”

Despite the drought, the Griffs made a late charge.

Tomas Vazaquez-Simmons rebounded his own miss for two of his nine points and Canisius trailed 56-49.

Needham stretched the lead with his fourth three of the night. Vazquez-Simmons grabbed another offensive rebound and was fouled in the process hitting his two from the charity stripe.

Trailing late, the Griffs were forced to foul, and the teams exchanged points for the next forty seconds.

Needham knocked down a pair from the charity stripe. Hymes responded with a lay up. Olander hit two from the line. Gaby Belardo broke free and tipped in a Hymes miss from behind the arc.

Then came a pair of misses by Needham. Vazquez-Simmons corralled the board. Belardo got in the lane, but his shot rimmed out. Again, Vazquez-Simmons was there for the rebound. This time he kicked it to Robert Goldsberry for the open three and Canisius trailed 63-58.

Full court pressure resulted in a turnover, and Canisius had a chance to make it a one-possession game, but the Fairfield defense was equal to the task.

“This has been the toughest opponent in the league that we’ve played,” Fairfield coach, Ed Cooley commented. “They’ve had some very close games in our league and just haven’t been fortunate to get over the hump in some of them,” Cooley noted of the Griffs’s recent loss at the buzzer to second-place Rider and the four-point defeat at reigning conference champ, Siena.  “This is a dangerous team, this Canisius team. Very-well coached. Physical as all giddy out.”

Needham staked the Stags to an early lead. The Bob Cousy Award list candidate nailed a trio of threes in the game’s first six minutes as Fairfeld jumped to an 11-to-5 lead.

Belardo paced the Griffs with 15, and Greg Logins added 12.

Fairfield’s Yorel Hawkins grabbed a game-high 10 boards to go with 11 points. Olander finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. Lyndon Jordan added 10 for the Stags.

Vazquez-Simmons led the Griffs with seven rebounds. Elton Frazier blocked three shots. Vazquez-Simmons had two rejections.

Canisius hosts Iona on Sunday. The Gaels come into the game tied with Fairfield atop the MAAC. Iona defeated the Griffs 94-85 in the conference opener for both teams.

By Paul Casey Gotham

BEAUMONT, Texas — The Canisius Golden Griffins stared an unflattering trend in the face. Entering play Tuesday night, the Griffs were 0-4 when trailing at the half. After taking an early 10-4 lead, the Griffs found themselves behind 32-30 going into the break.

It was time to put an end to the streak.

Tomas Vazques-Simmons and Alshwan Hymes led a second half comeback as the Canisius Golden Griffins defated the Lamar Cardinals in a non-conference match-up 78-72.

Vazques-Simmons and Hymes saved their production for latter stanza. The two contributed zero points before the horn and 22 points in the second frame.

Leading by three, Hymes connected on consecutive possessions – first with a jumper from the right side and then a 3 to pace the Griffs. Hymes picked off an errant pass at the other end of the floor, Elton Frazier followed with two of his 22 points. Two possessions later, Frazier fed Hymes. The sophomore nailed another trifecta, and Canisius had their largest lead of the game 61-51.

Vazques-Simmons brought the game home. The senior forward combined with Gaby Belardo on a pair of pretty pick and roll plays. First, Belardo led Vazques-Simmons for a lay up. On the ensuing possession, Frazier corralled a Belardo and slammed it home. Vazques-Simmons all but sealed the victory on the next play when he stepped back from a ball screen and knocked down a three-pointer to give the Griffs a 69-59 lead with four minutes remaining.

Vazques-Simmons finished with 14 points.

Frazier led the way with 22 points including a pair of clutch one-and-one free throws in the game’s final minute. It was the senior’s second 22-point performance in a row. Frazier has scored in double figures in each of Canisius’s last four games.

Julius Coles registered a career and game-high 12 rebounds. The Griffs controlled the glass 45-33.

Marial Dhal made his presence felt with just 10 minutes of playing time. The seven-footer from Uganda pulled down three rebounds and blocked two shots.  In a 20 second sequence Dhal rejected Vincenzo Nelson’s jumper, grabbed the rebound and kept the play going at the opposite with an offensive board. Belardo took advantage and hit a three-pointer.

Lamar came into the game leading the Southland Conference and ranked third in the country scoring 89 points per game. Mike James and Donley Minor came off the bench to lead the Cardinals with 13 and 12 points apiece.  Anthony Miles was a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line and also scored a dozen.

Canisius improves to 5-6 with the win.The Griffs ended a two-game skid. Canisius fell at Northwestern State Sunday evening 86-74 in a game where the Griffs were whistled for 31 personal fouls. Greg Logins scored 17 points before fouling out after 12 minutes of play. The senior became the 30th in program history to top the 1,000 point plateau.  The Griffs get a chance at payback when Northwestern State visits the Koessler Athletic Center on December 29th.