By Andrew Nowel, Sports Reporter
It’s been over three years since the Niagara Purple Eagles last defeated the Griffs at the KAC, but this past Friday, the Purple Eagles ended that streak with a victory over Canisius. As both teams fight for the final spot in the MAAC Tournament, this game will have major implications regarding the final stretch of the regular season.
The Griffs came out strong behind a packed house, opening with a quick 9–2 lead in the first four minutes of the game. From the beginning, junior guard Paul McMillan IV led the way for Canisius, finishing the game with 27 points.
The Purple Eagles worked their way back to a four–point deficit until Canisius junior forward Gianni Thompson knocked down a three–pointer to extend the Griffs lead to seven. This was one example of many players stepping up in big moments, which is what head coach Jim Christian has talked about over the course of the season.
Continuing with momentum, the Griffs held a seven–point lead heading into halftime, and extended their lead to nine in the first five minutes of the second half. Niagara would pull back within three before McMillan hit two more shots and brought the lead back to eight.
With eight minutes remaining, the Purple Eagles made two consecutive three–pointers, and took their first lead of the game at the 4:55 mark of the second half. In the final minutes, the Griffs struggled to control the game, even with the crowd behind them. Coach Christian commented on the struggle of maintaining stamina when guys are playing a lot of minutes during a game.
“All I can ask for is that they play their hearts out, and they did,” said Coach Christian after the game. “Unfortunately for us, we don’t have enough bodies. Every night we play, we only have six or seven guys going up against their ten. The lack of depth really takes a toll on us,” he explained. “The shot production isn’t the same in the second half as well as the defensive effort because guys are fatigued.”
The Purple Eagles didn’t close out the game, however, as the Griffs still had one last chance to knock down a game–winning shot. The opportunity to shoot two free throws while already up by one point should’ve put the game out of reach, but the Purple Eagles missed both free throws, giving Canisius a chance. In six seconds, McMillan went from under his own basket into a driving layup that bounced on the rim, but didn’t go.
“I think we’ve got a better chance at scoring on transition than we do playing against a set defense if we called timeout,” detailed Coach Christian. “I think that sometimes we overcall timeouts because even in that final possession, our best guy has the ball in his hands with an open floor.”
As the Griffs head back to another road swing, they will look to gain traction in the final month of the regular season. Facing Quinnipiac on Thursday and Merrimack on Saturday, Canisius will need to end the weekend with two victories if they want a trip to Atlantic City in March.
Photo courtesy of Tom Wolf
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