Men’s Basketball Drops Final Exhibition Game

Junior Michael Wilson Jr. scored a game-high 30 points on 11-of-13 shooting and senior Clinton Efinda added 15 points, but it was not enough for Canisius, as the Golden Griffins fell to Robert Morris 87-74 in Pittsburgh, Pa., in the Griffs' final exhibition game before the start of the 2026-27 regular season.

Wilson Jr. scored his 30 points after he went 11-for-13 from the field, 2-for-2 from 3-point land and 6-for-7 from the free-throw line in the team's final tune-up before the regular season begins next week. Efinda was also efficient from the floor, going 6-of-8 from the field to go along with three rebounds, an assist and a pair of steals. As a team, Canisius shot 60.0 percent from the field (27-for-45) and 40.0 percent from 3-point land (6-for-15), but the Blue and Gold turned the ball over 24 times in the game, with 16 of those giveaways coming in the game's first 20 minutes.

Robert Morris' Jalik Dunkley scored a team-high 26 points for the Colonials after he went 9-for-9 from the floor, made a pair of 3-pointers and hit on 6-of-11 chances from the charity stripe. Darius Livingstone added 21 points to the winning effort for Robert Morris, highlighted by five makes from behind the 3-point line. For the game, Robert Morris shot 49.1 percent from the field, made 11 3-point field goals and turned the Griffs' 24 turnovers into 27 points.

The Colonials led the game throughout and took their largest lead with 17:00 left on the clock after Ta'Zir Smith put Robert Morris up 58-34 with his only 3-point make on the night. Canisius continued to battle and used a 14-6 run over the span of 4:02 to trim Robert Morris' lead down to 10 points at 77-67. However, the host Colonials ended the Griffs' comeback push by scoring seven of the game's next nine points to push their lead back to 15 at 84-69 with 2:57 left to play.

The Griffs will officially open the 2026-27 regular season on Nov. 2, when the team travels to play at Penn State. Tipoff in the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pa., is set for 7:30 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#5 Clinton Efinda: F; 6' 5"; Senior

#33 Michael Wilson Jr.: G; 6' 6"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#5 Clinton Efinda
: 6' 5"; Senior
: F

#33 Michael Wilson Jr.
: 6' 6"; Junior
: G

Players Mentioned

#5 Clinton Efinda

#33 Michael Wilson Jr.

Players Mentioned

#5 Clinton Efinda

#33 Michael Wilson Jr.