Men's Basketball Wins 6th Straight, 65-61, Over Canisius - Rider University Athletics (2024)

• Box Score

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 3/3/2024 4:25:00 PM

James scores 20, Weeks Jr. adds 17

BUFFALO, NY – Mervin James (St. Thomas, USVI/Pebblebrook [North Alabama]) scored a game-high 20 points and T.J. Weeks Jr. (Warwick, RI/Bishop Hendricken Catholic [UMass]) added 17 points as the Rider University men's basketball team defeated Canisius, 65-61, on the road Sunday afternoon at the Koessler Athletic Center. With the win, the Broncs' sixth-straight, Rider improves to 14-16 (11-8 MAAC), while the Griffs fall to 12-16 (7-11 MAAC).

Nip-and-tuck in the early going, neither team could create more than three points of separation in the first 15 minutes until Rider went on an 11-2 run to take a 34-25 lead on James' drive with 54 seconds left in the period. Allen Powell (Philadelphia, PA/La Salle College HS) sparked the run with a triple and James added four points in the spurt. Canisius' Tre Dinkins beat the halftime buzzer with a three to cut the Broncs' lead to 34-28 at the half. James led the Broncs with 12 points on 6-of-11 shooting in the period, with Weeks Jr. adding eight points on 2-for-2 from the floor, including a three, and 3-for-3 from the free-throw line.

After the Broncs twice rebuilt the lead to eight, Canisius methodically whittled away until tying the game on a TJ Gadsden lay-up at the 13:27 mark. Gadsden made 1-of-2 free throws at the 11:32 mark following a flagrant 1 foul, and with the Griffs keeping possession, Canisius scored on an alleyoop to go up 60-57 with 11:31 left. The Broncs responded with four straight on buckets from Anthony McCall (Philadelphia, PA/Academy of the New Church) and JT Langston Jr. (Fort Wayne, IN/San Gabriel Academy [East Los Angeles College]) to retake the lead.

After Canisius briefly retook a 52-51 lead on a Devean Williams lay-up at 8:35, the Broncs responded with a 7-0 run and never trailed again. Weeks Jr. made 2-of-3 free-throws after being fouled on a three-point attempt to give the Broncs the lead at 8:16, Powell followed with a triple and Corey McKeithan (Windsor, CT/Windsor) capped the run with two free throws at the 6:05 mark. The Griffs could draw no closer than to within four the rest of the way.

Quotes & Notes
"We've been in this situation a number of times now that we've learned from. We make some bonehead mistakes still, but we find a way to figure it out in time for us to still prevail with the win. These guys have been through a lot. They're playing together and you can see where the experience really helps."

(On the Western New York sweep) "We haven't done that in a long time. We won the other day. You're kind of playing with the house's money, because when you come up here, you're at least saying you've got to get a split. To get two of them against two really good teams, it's going to make this bus ride even sweeter." – Rider Head Coach Kevin Baggett

- Rider leads the all-time series with Canisius, 42-17. However, the series has been much closer in recent years, with the Broncs posting a 13-10 record against the Griffs in Head Coach Kevin Baggett's 12 years at the helm, including a 6-5 mark in Canisius home games. 10 of the last 13 meetings have been decided by four points or less.
- Rider is now 12-2 this season when leading at the half.
- Rider moved to 6-12 on the road this season, including a 5-5 mark in league play and wins in each of their last three road contests.
- Rider swept two games in the MAAC's Western New York road trip for the first time since 2018-19 and the fifth time in 27 years in the league (2010-11, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2018-19, 2023-24). Rider also took two games in separate trips to Western New York in the 2001-02 season.
- The Broncs were making their latest trip to Western New York on the calendar in their history in the MAAC. On three occasions, the Broncs have played their last game of the Western New York weekend on March 2 (2002-03, 2012-13, 2013-14).

Broncs by the Numbers
- James scored a team-high 20 points on 8-of-17 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. He also added three assists and three rebounds.
- The 20-point performance was James' 16^th of the season, including each of the last five games. He's also scored in double figures in 27 of 30 games this year.
- Weeks Jr. scored 17 points on 5-of-6 from the floor, including 2-for-2 from long range, and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. He also tied for the team lead with seven rebounds.
- Powell also finished in double figures with 11 points on 4-of-9 from the floor, including 3-of-5 from long range. He added three assists and a steal.
- Tariq Ingraham (Philadelphia, PA/Bonner-Prendergast [Wake Forest]) added seven points and matched Weeks Jr.'s team-high seven rebounds. He also had three assists.
- McKeithan chipped in with six points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
- The Broncs outshot the Griffs, 48.9 percent (23-47) to 42.1 percent (24-57), from the floor, including a 50.0 percent (5-10) to 33.3 percent (8-24) edge from long range.
- Rider also took an 87.5 percent (14-16) to 62.5 percent (5-8) advantage from the free-throw line.
- Canisius edge Rider on the glass, 29-27, including a 13-6 advantage on the offensive boards.
- The game was evenly-matched in specialty stats. Rider took a 28-26 edge in points in the paint and a 9-6 advantage in points off turnovers. Canisius took an 11-10 edge in second-chance points and a 13-4 advantage in bench scoring. Fast-break points were tied at 4-4.
- Rider led for 31:33 of game time to Canisius' 2:59 with a lead.

Up Next
The Broncs close out the regular season on Thursday, when they play host to Saint Peter's as part of a men's and women's basketball doubleheader. Prior to the 8 p.m. tip-off, the Broncs will honor their senior class on Senior Night. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.