BIG 4 BASKETBALL
UB opens with win; Griffs can’t hang on
For the University at Buffalo, it was an important road win.
For Canisius, it was a disappointing start.
The Bulls kicked off the men’s basketball season with a 70-62 win at Youngstown State while the Golden Griffins led in the second half, but lost, 56-46, at Akron.
At the Beeghly Center, the Bulls were trailing, 54-53, then went on a 9-0 run to take control of the game — including seven straight points by Rodney Pierce.
Pierce, a Hutch-Tech product, had a game-high 21 points for the Bulls.
Greg Gamble added 19 points and eight rebounds as UB shot 42 percent from the field (29 of 69) and held a 51-39 rebounding advantage.
“We started off anxious and nervous a bit,” coach Reggie Witherspoon said. “There are things we can get better at, but on the road for our first game, we’ll take it. We rebounded the ball well.”
It was the fourth straight season-opening win for the Bulls.
In Akron, Canisius had a six-point second-half lead, but couldn’t hold on for the win.
Akron was fueled by Brett McKnight, who scored all 12 of his points in the final 6:07 of the game.
The Griffs had taken a 37-31 lead with 12:09 left but Akron tied the game, 39-39, with 5:54 remaining. The Zips then used a 6-0 run with back-to-back three-pointers to go up, 45-39. Canisius would get no closer than six points from there.
Canisius committed 30 turnovers but did hold a 47-27 advantage in rebounding.
“We talked all offseason about outrebounding teams and taking care of the basketball,” Canisius coach Tom Parrotta said. “We’re not going to win many games when we throw the ball around that much.”
Junior transfer Chris Gadley (Amherst) had 10 points and 10 rebounds in his first game for the Griffs while Frank Turner had 12 points.
Buffalo and Canisius square off in the Koessler Center at 7:30 p. m. Tuesday.
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