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BUFFALO, N.Y. – Canisius held off a late comeback attempt by the Vermont Catamounts to post a 64-60 win in the men's basketball season opener for both teams.
The Golden Griffins led 59-48 with 3:35 remaining in the contest. The Catamounts scored six straight points to climb back within five, 59-54 with 1:14 remaining.
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Box Score (.pdf)Canisius went 3-for-4 from the foul line to push back out to an eight point advantage with 18 seconds left, but UVM responded with back-to-back 3-pointers from
Trae Bell-Haynes and
Kurt Steidl to slice the lead to three with six seconds remaining. Zach Lewis made one of two free throws to help the Golden Griffins hold off the Catamounts.
Canisius led 15-10 with 9:42 remaining in the first half, but Bell-Haynes rattled off eight straight points for Vermont to push UVM in front 18-17 with 5:15 left. The teams traded the lead for the next four minutes, but the Catamounts ended the half scoring four consecutive points to grab a 26-22 lead at the break.
The Golden Griffins put together an 8-2 spurt in the opening minutes of the second half to take a 33-32 lead, one they would not relinquish the rest of the way.
Paul Valenti led all scorers with 24 points and grabbed six rebounds. Jan Grzelinski added 10 points and Jamal Reynolds chipped in eight points and seven rebounds to round out the leading performers for Canisius.
Bell-Haynes led the Catamounts with 17 points off the bench in his regular season debut.
Ethan O'Day added 12 points, 10 in the second half, and a team-high seven rebounds.
Both teams shot 40 percent from the field, but the Golden Griffins were 8-for-18 from 3-point range, 6-for-8 in the second half alone.
Vermont travels to Albany, New York to face Siena on Monday (Nov. 17) at 7 p.m. at the Times Union Center. The game will be broadcast on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel and will be available to Time Warner Cable subscribers throughout New York State. The game can also be heard on ESPN 101.3 FM (online:
1013ESPN.com) with A.J. Kanell calling the action.