(Canisius' Ryan Bradley waits to finish for two at Timon)
Canisius 82, Timon 61
The first half played out like a classic Friday night duel in the Monsignor Martin Association between to of the area's top teams, with Timon holding a three-point edge over Canisius at the break. But after the 10 minute intermission, the Crusaders exploded for 30 points in the third frame behind the scoring of Ryan Bradley & Jayce Johnson, while dialing up the intensity at the defensive end. The Tigers were held to just two field goals in the third quarter and six the entire second half, as the Crusaders repeatedly turned Timon over. An 18-point swing from halftime to the start of the fourth quarter saw the Tigers trailing 61-43 after the eight-minute Canisius blitz. Brendan Trapper scored seven of his 14 points in the final frame to help the Crusaders increase their lead and thwart any ideas the Tigers had of making up any ground late. Bradley finished with a game-high 22 points and collected 11 rebounds in the win, along with some slick passing. Johnson added 20 points and seven assists in the victory, which keeps Canisius in the driver's seat for the top seed in the upcoming Manhattan Cup playoffs with games remaining at St. Joe's & St. Francis next week.
Canisius 18 - 13 - 30 - 21 = 82
Timon 16 - 18 - 9 - 18 = 61
Point Totals
Canisius: Ryan Bradley 22, Jayce Johnson 20, Brendan Trapper 14, Austin James 10, Nick MacDonald 3, Ish Fairclough 3, Jon Evans 3, Joe Jamison 3, Andrew Hartnett 2, Joe Ingrando 2
Timon: Julian Cunningham 17, Master Radford 13, Cullen Tonge 10, Alero World 7, Jeremy Glinski 6, Tahron Goudelock 5, John Shields 3
Records
Canisius: 20-2, 10-1 / Next game at St. Joe's Monday, February 12th
Timon: 16-4, 7-3 / Next game vs. Nichols Monday, February 12th
Player of the Game
Ryan Bradley - Canisius
Unsung Hero of the Game
Brendan Trapper - Canisius
Key Stats
Canisius: Ryan Bradley 11 rebounds / Jayce Johnson 7 assists
Timon: Julian Cunningham 6 assists & 5 rebounds / Master Radford 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, & 2 steals
Key Runs
Canisius used a 23-1 run at the start of the second half to blow the roof off the auditorium at Timon. A 13-0 run in the fourth quarter had the Crusaders leading by a score of 74-45, the largest margin of the night. Timon responded late with 15 unanswered points.
3-Pointers
Canisius (3): Nick MacDonald, Brendan Trapper, Ish Fairclough
Timon (8): Julian Cunningham (3), Cullen Tonge (2), John Shields, Tahron Goudelock, Alero World
#BOOM
Austin James had one of the best poster dunks of the season for Canisius when he entered the lane at full speed and never slowed down. Video of it is available on my Twitter timeline. Master Radford had a two-handed slam in the first half for Timon.
Coaches Quotes
Kyle Husband - Canisius
On the big swing in the third quarter
It all starts on the defensive end. We had a ton of energy and focus, we got the stops, and we were able to get out in transition & make plays. We were able to find the open guy and did a lot of great things in transition, but it all started at the defensive end.
On Brendan Trapper
For at least the last week now, Brendan has really turned the corner and is playing great for us and we're a different team when he does that.
On Ryan Bradley's play inside
Ryan has been terrific in big games all year and tonight was another opportunity for him. He clearly came through with a big performance.
Jason Rowe - Timon
On the big swing in the third quarter
We turned the ball over. Eight turnovers in one quarter after just five in the entire half. Anytime you have a situation like that, you're digging yourself into a hole and it was tough for us to climb out of.
Random Smatterings
- Ryan Bradley's impact at Canisius this season has been immense. Besides leading the team in scoring and rebounding, he has been unselfish with the ball and delivers not just timely passes, but the type require a certain level of skill and floor vision. Another bonus for the Crusader big man - he's money at the free throw stripe. His game-high 22 points came in the first three quarters.
- Brendan Trapper is going to make a a nice Division III basketball player for the program that lands him. He shoots it well, has good size, bangs inside, and does the little things. Part of what makes Canisius so good is the luxury of a player like Trapper being considered a role player.
- That dunk by Austin James tough....
- Jayce Johnson is so good at using subtle hesitation moves to get into scoring position around the basket. Once he gets there, the finish is near automatic.
- The Tigers might want to consider a new halftime routine for big games, because the first two quarters went really well in recent losses to Park & Canisius.
- Timon deserved that feeling you go home with after a crushing loss in a hyped Friday night game against a league rival, for the way they took care of the ball in the third quarter. But they also deserve a bit of credit for not folding when the lead reached 29 points for Canisius. The 15-0 run that followed that point for the Tigers was all about pride, because Canisius never stopped coming.
-centercourt
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