For most of the rivalry game between the Crusaders and the Marauders, it was the unranked host, St. Joe's who held the advantage on the scoreboard and in the tempo dictated on the floor.  But in the end, it was the top ranked school in WNY that asserted itself in crunch time to ensure its status as the best, improve its unbeaten standing in the league, and retain rivalry bragging rights until they meet again.

 

Madut Ayiy scored 15 of his game-high 16 points in the second half, including 11 in the decisive final quarter, to lead Canisius to a 60-50 come-from-behind victory over Monsignor Martin Association rival St. Joe's in the first meeting of the season between the two.  The rematch will take place at the Canisius College Koessler Center on Saturday, January 31st at 1 pm.

 

"St. Joe's, to their credit, really played great"  Canisius head coach Kyle Husband said.  "They punched us in the mouth early on – they were the aggressor".

 

In the very early going, it looked like a very big and very important game that had the players on the court playing a little tight.  Possessions were hotly contested trips back and forth on both ends, with simple putbacks not falling, jumpers rimming out, and players diving for loose balls & soaring for rebounds.  Six minutes in, the contest was tied at just five points each, and neither team had put together any form of rhythm.  

 

Late in the opening quarter, LaTerrance Reed hit a 3-pointer for Canisius to tie the game at 9 apiece with 22 seconds left.  St. Joe's answered with one from downtown by Grant Beyer as the quarter expired, which gave the Marauders a 12-9 advantage, and more importantly, spurred some momentum.  They began the second quarter with seven straight points, five coming from Antonio Morreale, and suddenly a 10-0 St. Joe's run had them leading the Crusaders by 10 points, 19-9.  The Marauders 2-3 zone was effective during the stanza, limiting Canisius to a single field goal over the eight-minute span, as they took a surprising double figure lead into the game's intermission, 27-15.

 

The inevitable Canisius run that everyone was waiting for happened in two parts, with the start to it coming at the start of the second half.  Josh Huffman and Justin Jones combined for a quick seven points to cut the St. Joe's lead to 29-22.  The third quarter remained back-and-forth from that point forward, with the teams first trading buckets, then swapping free throws.  The second portion of the third quarter was mostly consistent of free throws, with 10 of the last 14 points from both squads coming from the charity stripe.  When the teams came away from their benches for the final quarter, the Marauders were holding a seven-point lead at 40-33.

 

Naseer Jackson opened the fourth quarter scoring with a basket for St. Joe's to put them up by nine, before a score inside from the Crusaders' Ayiy triggered the second Canisius run.  In less than two minutes, the Crusaders had ripped the momentum from St. Joe's and with it, taken the lead with 6:08 remaining in the game, 43-42.  Stafford Trueheart scored four points during the surge, that also included scores from Reed and Huffman.  Once Canisius took the lead, they never relinquished it, and over the game's final eight minutes, imposed its style on St. Joe's, played at its highest level, and looked like the best team in WNY.  

 

"We dictated tempo a little more in that last quarter" Husband said.  "Once we got on a roll, you see them kind of get back on their heels and us keep that snowball effect going".  "They had great momentum early, we had great momentum late".

 

Trueheart finished with 14 points, with nine of those helping Canisius to pull away in the fourth quarter, including an exclamation point dunk in the closing moments.  Reed and Huffman each added 11 points in the win.

 

Marcell Davis led St. Joe's with 15 points and had a solid all-around game, while Beyer finished with 12 points.

 

Ultimately the game was an affirmation of sorts for both teams.  St. Joe's has enough talent and grit to believe that just need to learn how to finish a game like that, but that they definitely belong on the court with anyone.  For Canisius, they got the reassurance that when they are at their best, they are the best.  

 

At least we think so.  There's a game on Tuesday night at Canisius that holds some major interest for me, and some huge relevance to the discussion of the best teams in WNY.  It will be the only meeting of the season between the Crusaders and Park, the top ranked small school in WNY, and a team loaded with the talent and athleticism to challenge Canisius.  Until then…

 

-centercourt