Rhode Island defeats Canisius 62-45
Rhode Island Edges Canisius in Thrilling Comeback Victory
In a back-and-forth contest, Rhode Island outlasted visiting Canisius 62-45 at Thomas M. Ryan Center on Thursday night, spoiling the Golden Griffins' chances for an upset.
The home team trailed by five points at halftime, but began to pull away in the second half behind the hot shooting of Jonah Hinton, who scored 10 of his 20 points after intermission. Hinton's 3-point range proved particularly deadly, as he connected on four of seven attempts from beyond the arc.
The difference-maker for Rhode Island was its ability to contain Canisius' leading scorer, Bryan Ndjonga, who managed just six points in the second half. The Golden Griffins struggled to find their rhythm on offense, shooting a season-low 32% from the field in the second half.
"We made some adjustments at halftime and were able to take advantage of their struggles," said Rhode Island head coach Jimmy Patsos. "Our guys showed a lot of heart and resilience, which was crucial in this game."
Canisius, meanwhile, struggled with turnovers, committing 19 in the loss, including five in the second half. The Golden Griffins' defense also allowed Hinton to exploit any mismatch in the paint, scoring an easy layup on several occasions.
The largest lead of the game for Rhode Island came midway through the second half, as Jonah Hinton scored eight points in a 10-0 run that put his team up by 11. Canisius managed to trim the deficit to five points before Rhode Island sealed the win with a late fast break.
Hinton led all scorers with 20 points, while Keeyan Itejere added 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Rams. Tyler Cochran chipped in with four assists and 12 points off the bench.
Canisius was led by Bryan Ndjonga's 11 points on 4-18 shooting from the field. Anthony Benard contributed 10 points and four assists, but the Golden Griffins' inability to contain Hinton proved too much to overcome.
The loss drops Canisius to 3-5 overall, while Rhode Island improves to 6-2. The win marks a significant non-conference victory for the Rams, who now head into a tough stretch of their schedule.
For Patsos and his team, it's a welcome momentum boost heading into Big East play.
"It was a big win for us, and we're proud of the way our guys responded to adversity," Patsos said. "We'll take this as a confidence booster and move forward."