By: Terry Smith
Coming into tonight’s game, the Canisius men's basketball team found themselves on a six game skid. In their last game, Tahj Staveskie dropped 26 points but Canisius ended up on the wrong side of things at home against Iona, losing 80-59.
Through the first couple of minutes in the first half , both teams got off to a slow start, scoring just two points in the first three minutes. It wasn't until Quinnipiac senior guard Matt Balanc drained a three that scoring picked up.
The Bobcats continued to utilize the three, shooting 7-11 in the first half from behind the arc. After being down as many as eight, Canisius slowly but surely got back into the game.
TJ Gadsden became the storyline of the game and the offense flourished through him. Gadsden started to heat up from deep, knocking down his first 4 threes that he attempted. With just three seconds left, the Canisius bench watched the 6’7” guard put up his fifth shot of the half. As the ball went through the net, Gadsden finished his half perfect, shooting 5/5. His score tied the game at 37 heading into the second and final frame.
Canisius could attribute the knotted up game to Gadsden’s shooting. His 100% shooting percentage led the way with 16 points in the first half, going 5-5 and 4-4 from 3 point range.
As the second half began, both teams continued to make shots with neither team fully grasping a hold on the lead. At around the 17 minute mark, Canisius would take the lead and go up 45-43 with Jordan Henderson's mid-range pull up. At the 14:28 mark, Fritz threw the lob to Gadsden, followed up by corner three from the latter. Gadsden’s scores would put Canisius up by 7. At this point, the momentum would swing in Canisius’ Favor.
During this time, Quinnpiac went on a scoreless drought that would last as long as four minutes. Although Gadsden would start off 11-11, he would eventually miss his first shot at the 9:20 minute mark. Canisius would outscore Quinnipiac 48 to 20 and would go on to win the game 85-65.
T.J. Gadsden would finish with 31 Points, and 5 Rebounds. He shot 5-8 from three, and 11-16 from the field, in total. Although Gadsden was the main star throughout the game, others had an impact as well, with Jordan Henderson contributing 20 points and Jacob Fritz adding 12 points with 8 rebounds and 8 assists.
With Gadsden leading the way, Canisius earned a great win and will look to keep adding momentum as they get ready for their final two road games against both the Rider Broncos and the Mount St. Mary Mountaineers.
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