—————-Final, 72-69 Canisius——————

:04—Harold’s first is good. 71-69 CC. The second drops too—huge pair there by Washington. Kloof dribbles up the floor and finds Wright for a contested three—it’s short. CANISIUS WINS.

:17—Sosa hits the second. Three-point game, Bona trails. Conger rises for a three—misses—but Chris Johnson is there for the put-back. 70-69 Canisius, and Conger fouls Washington with four seconds left. INTENSE.

:17—Half the crowd is on its feet for the final 17 ticks. Heath, Manhertz, Sosa, Baron and Washington on the court for CC, and there’s an immediate foul called on Matthew Wright, much to the displeasure of the St. Bonaventure bench. Isaac Sosa shoots one-and-one—he calmly drills the first. 69-67.

:40—Canisius shows zone out of the timeout. Kloof’s contested three hits the back rim and off, and the ball is awarded to Canisius. What an odd shot selection. 68-67 Griffins with 17 seconds left—and the ball.

:53—Good trap by Harold Washington on Mosley on the sideline right in front of Mark Schmidt’s bench, and Schmidt calmly uses the team’s penultimate timeout.

:52—Timeout, SBU. 68-67 Griffins. It’s a real barn-burner here.

1:20—Timeout, Canisius. Full court press from St. Bonaventure out of the timeout, but it’s pretty soft. Baron with the ball, guarded tightly by Kloof. Manhertz taps in a Washington miss, and Canisius is back in front! Great position on the offensive glass by the burly junior—the elder Baron has to be pleased with that possession.

1:20—Jordan Heath fouls Conger on the perimeter, not the smartest foul. One-and-one upcoming for Conger, the Bonnies’ leading returning scorer. The first falls to tie the game at 66. The second is good too, even though it hung on the rim for seemingly an eternity.

2:02—Game-high 19 points for Harold Washington, who’s been Canisius’ go-to scorer and ballhandler in the second half. Conger’s three rims out from the right side, and Canisius brings the ball up the floor, down only one. Harold Washington scoots into the paint and finishes off the glass as he’s hit in the head, but there’s no call. The bucket’s good though, and it’s 66-65 Canisius, the Griffs’ first lead since 30-29.

2:17—Jim Baron raises his arms for the crowd to get on its feet after Chris Manhertz executes a pretty spin and finish in the lane. The noise level rises even more as Jordan Heath swats away an SBU shot on some timely help defense. Chants of “Let’s Go, Bonas” are a little louder than the Canisius fans, but it’s getting a little closer in intensity. 65-64 Bonnies with 2:02 left.

3:32—Chris Johnson dribbles the ball off his foot, but SBU manages to maintain possession. Great take by Kloof, but his lay-up falls off the rim. Still a one possession game. Jordan Heath flares off the ball-screen, but he can’t connect on the open trey. Another charge on Kloof, who ends up grabbing his quad—well-taken by Manhertz, who’s a little gimpy himself.

3:54—Baron, Washington, Manhertz, Sosa and Jordan Heath on the floor for Canisius. Kloof, Conger, Ndoye, Wright and Johnson on the court for SBU.

3:54—Under four timeout, and we have a nail-biter here. 65-62 St. Bonaventure still, and Canisius has had several opportunities to swing the momentum but has yet to seize it. What’s Jim Baron saying in this timeout?

4:19—Timeout on the floor—65-62 SBU still, and the Bonnies have the ball. Kloof finds Conger for an open three, but that won’t fall from the right corner. Kloof guarding Baron tightly now, and Chris Manhertz’s ball-screen to try to free Baron leads to an offensive foul on the big man, his third.

5:48— Harold Washington curls off a ball-screen and nails a three from 24-feet. Big bucket—only a three-point SBU lead, as Manhertz strips Conger in the right corner! Sosa’s fade-away three-ball from the right corner softly rims out, however, drawing an exhale from the Bonaventure faithful. 65-62 Bona. After an SBU miss, Washington flies to the tin and sees his layup bounce off the rim. Another close call, and Canisius can’t seem to get over the hump.

6:23—Wright sinks the first from the stripe, pushing the lead to 65-59. The second is no good, however, but a lane violation on Chris Manhertz earns SBU another attempt. Jim Baron is irate.

6:55—It’s a dagger from Chris Johnson, who nails a three from the left wing. It’s 64-57 SBU, but Harold Washington coasts to the rim for a hoop almost immediately at the other end. Chasing Kloof back down the floor, however, Reggie Groves sprains his ankle and limps off. Washington was limping slightly too. Wright dribbles with his left and draws a foul on Sosa.

7:28—Kloof hoists a three out of the timeout—I’m not sure that’s the shot that Mark Schmidt drew up out of the media timeout. Loose ball foul on Jordan Heath after Hymes missed an open look from downtown.

7:50 —Just like they did against Cornell, St. Bonaventure is bending but not breaking. Still a four-point lead, and Wright, Conger and Mosley are coming up with crucial buckets down the stretch here. St. Bonaventure shot 58% from the floor in the first half, and their torrid shooting hasn’t cooled off too much into the second stanza.

7:50—The game is stopped briefly as the Canisius rim was bent down—Jordan Heath jumps the necessary few inches to adjust it. Life must be nice at 6’11. Under eight media timeout, 61-57 Bonaventure.

8:48—Groves drains his first free throw, then hits the second. Canisius is already shooting one-and-one, as there are seven team fouls on the Bonnies. Great block by Conger on Washington, then Wright nails a floater on the fast break. Great sequence for the Bonnies, as Washington’s drive to the tin looked destined for a bucket.

9:43—Big triple by Conger from the left wing this time, and Nicholson’s former sidekick is starting to take matters into his own hands. Alshwan Hymes rattles in a three in response, however, and the margin is still 2. Mosley responds with a fadeaway jumper, however, as both teams are catching fire.

10:05—Manhertz and Wright trade buckets, then Harold Washington grabs a “look what I found” loose ball and is fouled three feet from the hoop. He’ll shoot two. 54-50 SBU.

11:08—Good show on the ball-screen defensively by Conger, who flusters Hymes into a carry. That’s how you defend a ball-screen! SBU ball. Conger nails a three from Mosley, a nifty little flare off a ball-screen down the right wing.

11:20—Under 12 timeout, 49-48 St. Bonaventure clings to the smallest of leads. Fortunately for Canisius, Jordan Heath’s long arms made up for a “jump-ball”, 3/4 length of the court pass from Isaac Sosa, and the slam brought the noise level to its peak so far today. The block by Sosa was pretty, however, as Mosley had no idea that the transfer was bearing down on him.

12:26—Harold Washington nails a line-drive trey, and it’s clear that the Griffs are looking to him at the end of most offensive possessions this half. Hymes checks in for Billy Baron. Bad turnover by Hymes, who threw a long pass down the floor that was picked off by Mosley. Isaac Sosa with a quick theft and a long pass that’s complete to Jordan Heath in front of the bucket, and he throws it down with power. It’s deafening in here as Wright is called for the travel, and Jim Baron raises his hands to get the crowd into it. This is nuts.

13:26—Canisius’ Washington is a little lucky to retrieve a loose ball, but his quickness ends up drawing a foul on Chris Johnson. Jordan Gathers travels during his split-second of indecision—he had a cutter, Michael Davenport, I think, flashing across the lane. More turnovers!

14:15—Nice crosscourt pass from Gathers to Mosley, who swishes yet another trey—his fourth of the afternoon. Both Mosley and Wright—despite their defensive deficiencies—are pure shooters. 49-43 Bonnies.

14:27 —46-43 SBU. More chants of Daddy’s Girl on Baron. Those Bonnies fans are relentless—the gall to do that at the Koessler Center! The Canisius student section has filled out a bit, but it’s nowhere near as boisterous as the SBU section. Harold Washington steps on the sideline, another CC turnover.

15:37—Youssou Ndoye is jogging in place over by the SBU bench—he hurt his ankle against Cornell the other night. Kloof flashes laterally across the lane, scoring with his left off glass. Travel on Billy Baron, and another wasted possession for Canisius. Chants of “Daddy’s Girl” boom from the St. Bonaventure section, referring to the Baron father-son connection. Foul on the floor on Charlon Kloof, who charged into Harold Washington before Jordan Heath’s emphatic block after the play.

15:37—Nice pass on the break by Conger to Simmons, who takes his eye off the pass and lets it fly out of bounds. Griffin ball, still 44-43 SBU at the under 16 timeout of the second half.

16:37—Another pretty finish inside from Washington, who scuttled down the baseline, ducked inside and scored off the window. Nine for Harold. Conger comes up short on a five-footer, and there’s a loose ball foul on Chris Johnson. Canisius ball, trailing 44-43.

17:23—Harold Washington coasts to the bucket and finishes with the finger roll. Simmons misses a gimme in the paint from Kloof, and then Jordan Heath’s three clangs off the left side of the rim. Bonaventure ball, and Kloof hits Simmons in the block on the third straight play—he’ll shoot two.

18:14—Jordan Heath shows some range by drilling a three! The triple comes after a terrific pass by Kloof to Simmons, who scores again on the possession following Heath’s make. The points are rolling in now. 43-39 St. Bonaventure. There’s a dispute by Schmidt, who’s contesting an out-of-bounds call on the baseline.

18:47—After a steal by Youssou Ndoye, Matthew Wright finishes at the rim at the other end. Ndoye picks up his third fouling Sosa in the lane, and he sinks the first free throw. 39-35 St. Bonaventure as Simmons checks in for Ndoye. It’ll be interesting to see how Schmidt handles Ndoye’s minutes in the second half.

19:44—Isaac Sosa gets great lift on his jumper, and he swishes it—the officials are checking the replay to see if his foot was on the line or not. It’s judged a two-point basket, and the deficit is three for Canisius. Good recovery by Jordan Heath to jump into the passing lane and deflect a ball out of bounds. It helps having freakishly long arms, I suppose. Manhertz forces a turnover on Conger.

Halftime—Chris Manhertz, Jordan Heath and Harold Washington were limited to 10 minutes or less due to foul trouble for Canisius. All have two fouls.

Halftime—Billy Baron leads Canisius with nine points, three assists and three turnovers. Sosa is close behind with eight points, including two threes. Chris Johnson leads the Bonnies with a game-high 14, an electric 6-7 from the floor and 2-2 from downtown. Bonaventure leads the points in the paint battle 16-8.

——————-Halftime, 37-32 St. Bonaventure——————

:08—Simmons is too giddy in barreling into the post, and Josiah Heath draws the charge, perhaps redeeming himself for missing his assignment on the last offensive trip.

:45—Canisius shows zone for the third time this half, but Conger, who was briefly open behind the arc, travels as he drives baseline. Good defense by Gathers on Baron, as he stripped the CC junior on his way up. 37-32 Bonaventure.

:57—Jim Baron is irate with Josiah Heath, who failed to set a ball-screen for Isaac Sosa. Flustered, Billy Baron tried a jump-stop that was deemed a travel. Good call. Timeout on the floor by Schmidt.

1:30—Youssou Ndoye thinks he has a clean block on Josiah Heath in the paint, but he’s whistled for his second foul. St. Bonaventure fans are not pleased with the referee. Heath knocks down his first. Marquise Simmons replaces Ndoye in the lineup, as Schmidt sees no reason to risk a third foul on his most talented big before the break. Heath’s second falls, too.

2:35—Off-balance 25-footer from Billy Baron probably wasn’t the best shot choice on this possession, but Mosley bails him out by firing another ill-advised three at the other end. Reggie Groves hits the top of the backboard on his three-point attempt. Yikes.

3:02—Finally, a media timeout, a chance to catch our breath. St. Bonaventure holds a five-point lead behind Eric Mosley’s hot shooting—he has nine points (all threes), second on the Bonnies to Chris Johnson’s 12.

3:10—Hymes bricks a three, then Mosley, the shortest player on the floor, drops in another trey. Cheers rain down from the Bona fans, and Jim Baron calls for a timeout. Chants of “SBU” cascade to the floor as Jim Baron talks aggressively in the Canisius huddle. 30-second timeout by the Griffs, it appears. 35-30 St. Bonaventure.

3:52—Terrific offensive rebound and dish by Josiah Heath, who found Hymes cutting down the middle for a righty lay-in. Good awareness by the big fella! Mosley rains a trey at the other end, igniting life back into the Bona student section.

5:01—Conger and Josiah Heath trade missed open jumpers. It’s getting sloppier as the half progresses. Jordan Gathers enters for St. Bonaventure. Billy Baron sinks two free throws, giving the Griffs the lead by a bucket. Eric Mosley nails a trey from the top of the key after Canisius switches to zone. Way to make them pay, Bonaventure.

6:27—Tyrel Edwards shows off a nifty mid-range jumper for Canisius, but Chris Johnson responds with a three from the left wing. Johnson is glued to Sosa on the perimeter at the other end, denying a three point attempt. It doesn’t matter, as the ball swings to Billy Baron on the opposite wing, and he cans a trey. Travel on Matthew Wright, who changed his pivot foot at the right elbow.

7:31—A runner by Wright gives St. Bonaventure the lead. He’s expanded his game to become more than just a three-point specialist. Sosa is errant on a trey, and Wright careens down the floor—but it’s an offensive player-control foul on Wright. There’s a mean chant coming down from the Bonnies’ fans to the refs—I’ll let you take a guess at what that is.

8:05—Bona’s Marquise Simmons flatly rejects Billy Baron’s lay-up, but Canisius retains possession. Isaac Sosa gets caught in mid-air, leading to a travel. Under eight timeout, 21-21 tie.

8:47—Tyrel Edwards, Sosa and Baron return for Canisius. First action of the night for Edwards, a testament that Baron is willing to go deep into his bench. Conger hits the first free throw after he’s fouled by Washington, his second. Conger nails the second, too.

9:55—Strong putback of a missed Wright three by Conger, who boxes out nicely and uses the window. Alshwan Hymes almost banks in a rushed three on the next trip, and Bonaventure, trailing by four, can narrow the margin here. Excellent putback of a Conger miss by Johnson, and the Griffs are suddenly getting beaten to the glass. 21-19 Canisius.

11:35—Terrific drive by Reggie Groves, who floats a lay-up over Ndoye and draws the foul on the Bona big. Free throw is no good, however, and Bonnies corral the rebound. Ndoye gets trapped in the corner and turns the ball over to Groves, who hustled back to the sideline for the interception. Chris Manhertz turns the ball back over, as he can’t catch a pass knifing through the lane.

11:53—Under 12 timeout, 17-15 Canisius. Nice little run by the Griffins with Billy Baron on the bench. Isaac Sosa’s outside shooting as been a spark, and the Griffs have been responsible defensively. Each team has four turnovers in the early going, however, an indictment more of the pace and hype than anything else.

12:10—Steal by Harold Washington, who jets off on a one-man fast break. Foul on Demitrius Conger, who was panting trying to catch-up to the speedy senior. Washington will shoot two. The first drops, but the second doesn’t. Harold Washington sticks his hand into the passing lane, and his deflection hits Mosley before sailing out of bounds. Canisius ball after the media break—kudos for quick hands defensively by Harold.

12:43—Conger hit the second. Another quick whistle at the other end, a foul on Eric Mosley. Sosa gets a round of applause as he trots to the bench. 15-13 St. Bonaventure.

12:53 —Central Florida transfer Isaac Sosa cans another triple, this one falling away. Jordan Heath picks up a foul at the other end, and Conger will see two attempts from the stripe. Conger hits the first. Jim Baron subbing liberally for Canisius, as Washington and Manhertz re-enter.

14:01—Charge taken by Alshwan Hymes on Michael Davenport. Jordan Heath turns the ball back over by stepping on the baseline before a putback attempt. Good intensity early on. Jordan Heath with a steal of an entry pass, and Billy Baron gets Canisius into its halfcourt set.

15:13—Matthew Wright fakes a drive into the paint and stops at the elbow, swishing a mid-range jumper. That was really, really smooth. Isaac Sosa responds for Canisius with a pull-up moving laterally from 15. Travel on St. Bonaventure’s Demitrius Conger gives the ball back to the Griffs. Alshwan Hymes enters for Canisius, while Marquise Simmons and Michael Davenport are in for Mark Schmidt’s Bonnies.

15:25—Johnson misses a 10-foot pull-up from the left wing, and Canisius rushes the ball down the floor with Harold Washington, who draws a foul on a recovering Johnson. Washington shoots a pair. The first is no good. Second drops. 11-8 Bonnies.

15:38—Under 16 timeout, 11-7 St. Bonaventure. Quick start from the Bonnies’ Chris Johnson (seven of St. Bonaventure’s 11 points), clearly because he knew that he was Buffalo.com’s player to watch. Hey, we’re here to inspire.

16:02—Billy Baron rims out on a three from the top of the key, then appeals for a foul as he crumbles to the floor. No call, and there’s a loose ball foul on Chris Manhertz going the other way on Canisius. Kloof drives parallel and draws Harold Washington’s first foul.

17:01—Josiah Heath checks in for Jordan Heath. Baron sinks two free throws after a foul on Ndoye. Chris Johnson explodes down the floor in response, takes a feed and scores off the window. A thunderous throw-down by Charlon Kloof off a steal, however, as the Bona crowd in a frenzy! The 6’3 guard can certainly fly high.

17:58—Offensive foul on Baron for a push-off, and Matthew Wright wriggles into the lane and hits a 10-foot runner. Canisius’ Isaac Sosa drills a trey in response from the right wing, however. Very dubious foul on Jordan Heath, and Jim Baron is howling at the official that Ndoye traveled before the foul. St. Bonaventure makes Canisius pay, too, as Johnson connects on a three from the left wing. 7-5 St. Bonaventure.

19:12 —Heath stands tall defensively in the block, forcing Ndoye into a turnover. A bit of a chaotic start for both teams. Baron uses his strength to bull past Charlon Kloof, and he flips in the right-handed layup. Johnson responds immediately at the other end with a layup of his own. 2-2 tie.

20:00—Ndoye and Heath vie for the tip, and Bonnies control. Conger bricks a three for St. Bonaventure, and Baron corrals the rebound. An entry pass to Heath leads to a wild missed layup, and the ball’s tipped out to the Bonnies.

20:00—Huge crowd of St. Bonaventure students—the Bonnies may outnumber the home Griffs in terms of student attendance. That’s not too surprising considering how well St. Bonaventure travels, but still—a tough one for the Griffs to swallow.

St. Bonaventure: Demitrius Conger, Youssou Ndoye, Charlon Kloof, Matthew Wright and Chris Johnson.
Canisius: Baron, Chris Manhertz, Jordan Heath, Harold Washington, Isaac Sosa.

Pre-game—Two minutes until tip-off, and both teams are completing their warm-ups. Starting lineups on the docket!

Players to Watch:

Canisius—Billy Baron, the do-everything guard who transferred to Canisius from Rhode Island after his father was fired, instantly steps in as Canisius’ best player. Opposing teams can’t pay too much attention to Baron, however, as last year’s leading scorer Harold Washington returns to the backcourt.

St. Bonaventure—Chris Johnson, G/F. He’s a pure scorer who came off the bench last year, but he’s being asked to fill a much bigger role without Nicholson’s offensive presence.

Pre-game—With Andrew Nicholson taken by the Orlando Magic in the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft, St. Bonaventure has retooled for the 2013 campaign. Mark Schmidt’s club features a much more balanced attack, as senior forward Demitrius Conger and point guard Charlon Kloof lead the way, while 7’3 Youssou Ndoye continues to grow by leaps and bounds.

Pre-game—It’s a whole new Canisius squad this year under Jim Baron, the former coach of the visiting Bonnies. Baron’s son, Billy, joins heralded transfers Jordan Heath, Isaac Sosa and Freddy Asprilla for the Griffs. Asprilla is serving a suspension that he picked up during his transfer year, however, and is not active today.

Pre-game - The Canisius Griffins and the St. Bonaventure Bonnies take the floor today at the Koessler Athletic Center. Both teams boast undefeated records, as the Bonnies have downed Bethune-Cookman and Cornell while the Griffs knocked off Boston University in their home opener.