Men's College Basketball
Canisius College 79, Rider University 66
LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ— Playing with the fearlessness of an eagle and the heart of a lion, Golden Griffin Billy Baron compiled 29 points and 10 assists to lead Canisius to a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference victory at Rider Friday night on ESPNU.
“Billy Baron played exceptionally well and that's why in my opinion he is the player of the year in the MAAC,” said Rider head coach Kevin Baggett.
Canisius (20-10, 14-5 MAAC) used an 11-3 run, eight points by Baron, to take a 59-42 lead with 9:16 left to play.
Rider (13-15, 9-10 MAAC) out-scored Canisius 12-4, five points by sophomore Zedric Sadler (Detroit, Mich/Cody), to cut the lead to 48-39 with 13:25 left to play, but that was as close as the Broncs could get. Sadler finished with 10 points in 20 minutes off the bench.
“We just have to continue to battle and try to win one before the tournament,” Baggett said.
Canisius used a 20-6 run, 11 points by Baron, to take a 36-19 lead, and the Griffs led 36-21 at the half. “Baron can do so many things, that is what makes him so valuable,” Baggett said. “He had 10 assists, he gets his teammates involved.”
Baron, who ranks third in the nation in scoring (24.8 points), made five three-pointers, including his 96th three-pointer of the season, setting a new Canisius single-season record.
Playing in his final home game, Rider senior Anthony Myles (Dover, DE/Poly-Tech) compiled 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists. “We're not competing the way we need to,” said Myles, who now has 1,365 career points, 17th most ever at Rider.
Rider freshman Jimmie Taylor III (Branford, Fla./Suwannee) added 15 points, six rebounds and three assists.
Also playing in his final home game, senior Tommy Pereira (Nottingham, England/Canarias Basketball Academy) added 11 points.
This was the 18th time Canisius has played in Alumni Gym and the Griffs have won just three times, but all three have come in the last four years. Rider and Canisius have now met 40 times since the series began in 1929-30, with Rider winning 30. The Broncs lost in double overtime at Canisius on January 10.
The win was the fourth for the second place Griffs in the last five games.
The loss was the sixth for Rider in the last seven games. “No one was expecting this to happen,” Myles said. “We still have the (MAAC) tournament to look forward to. We can turn this around and make a run in the tournament.”
The loss was Rider's fifth straight at home. Rider finishes with a 6-7 home record, the worst since going 5-7 at home in 2006. “We lost our confidence,” Baggett said. “We just have to keep our heads up and make some winning plays. We need to find a way to win a half, win a game.”
Rider finishes the regular season Sunday with a 3pm game at Iona that will be broadcast on ESPN3.
The Griffin may be a mythical creature with the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion, but there was nothing mythical about Baron's performance Friday night.
Rider fans are looking for such a performance from the Broncs on Sunday and next week in the MAAC Tournament in Springfield, Mass.
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