The Canisius men's basketball team has accepted an invitation to play in the Seventh Annual CollegeInsiders.com Postseason Tournament (CIT), and the Golden Griffins will host a home game against an opponent to be determined on Wednesday, March 18, Canisius head coach Jim Baron announced today.
Canisius (16-14, 11-9 MAAC) will play in the national postseason for the third-straight season, the program's first run of three-straight postseason appearances since 1993-94 through 1995-96. The Griffs ended a 16-year postseason drought in 2013 when the team made a run to the CIT quarterfinals and the Griffs took part in a CIT first-round game last season, where the team lost to VMI at home.
The Griffs, who have won four of their last six games dating back to Feb. 15, lost to Monmouth by the score of 60-54 March 7 in the quarterfinal round of the 2015 MAAC Men's Basketball Championship in Albany, N.Y. Sophomore guard Zach Lewis, an All-MAAC Third-Team selection, leads the team offensively with 12.6 points per game, while senior Josiah Heath is good for 9.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest this season. Fellow senior Jeremiah Williams scored a game-high 18 points in the loss to Monmouth March 7, and he enters the postseason averaging 14.8 points per game in the team's last five contests. Defensively, Canisius ranks second in the MAAC and 68th nationally in scoring defense, with the Blue and Gold is giving up 62.3 points per contest this season.
Tickets for the game will officially go on sale Wednesday, March 11. Tickets cost $10 adults and $5 for children ages 12 and younger. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Canisius ticket office in the Koessler Athletic Center lobby between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday-Friday, by calling the Canisius ticket office at (716) 888-2885, or online at Ticketmaster.com. Canisius season ticket holders will be able to claim their seats up until noon on March 18.
