Canisius College Defeats Niagara University in Triple Overtime Thriller
MAAC Sports
ALBANY, NY – The second game of the 2016 MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship saw the Canisius College Golden Griffs defeat the Niagara University Purple Eagles, 102-97 in a triple overtime championship edition of “The Battle of the Bridge.”
It required triple overtime to decide the next chapter in this rivalry. The Golden Griffs will now face two seeded Iona College tomorrow, Friday, March 4 at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN3.
This game featured 13 lead changes and 12 ties before Canisius locked up the win. With 199 combined points, this is the highest combined point total in MAAC Championship history. The previous high was 198 between Niagara University and Iona on March 6, 2004 in a single overtime contest.
For the Griffs, Phil Valenti scored a game-high 33 points and added nine rebounds. Malcolm McMillan added 20 and Kassius Robertson added 15. For the Purple Eagles, Emile Blackman scored 26 points and Karonn Davis scored 20 with 12 from long distance. The 102 points scored by Canisius is the third most for a single team in MAAC Championship history. The record is 106 held by Niagara set in that previous highest scoring game on 3/6/2004, in MAAC Championship history.
The 2016 MAAC Men’s Championship title game will take place on Monday, March 7 at 7:00 p.m. and will air live on ESPN with the winner earning the leagues automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
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