All season, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference teams such as Iona, Siena and Marist have come to Western New York bemoaning the hardship injuries to key players have cost them. Now Canisius has joined the club.
The Golden Griffins lost sophomore forward Phil Valenti with an ankle injury suffered in a victory over Quinnipiac at the Koessler Athletic Center on Jan. 30. It created a starting opportunity for Jermaine Crumpton, who had been an effective bench player for coach Jim Baron?s team, which had moved into fourth place in the conference standings.
Now Crumpton is gone for the rest of the season, including Friday night?s home game against Rider.
The 6-foot-6 redshirt freshman from Niagara Falls suffered a broken bone in his right foot attempting to score the tying basket in the final seconds of the Griffs? 44-40 loss to Monmouth last Sunday. An MRI confirmed the injury and he will undergo surgery on Friday.
Crumpton had played in all 23 games for the Griffs and averaged 7.3 points a game. His high game, 18 points, came in his first collegiate start, on Feb. 1 against Marist.
Canisius (12-11, 7-7 MAAC) has lost three straight without Valenti and has dropped into a tie for fifth in the conference. Rider (16-9, 10-4 MAAC) is in second place, two games behind Iona. The Broncos from Lawrenceville, N.J., have completed their season series with the Gaels but have important games left with Manhattan and Monmouth, each 9-5.
Rider?s scoring leader is 7-foot senior center Matt Lopez (12.8 ppg), who also is averaging 7.9 rebounds per game.
The Golden Griffins lost sophomore forward Phil Valenti with an ankle injury suffered in a victory over Quinnipiac at the Koessler Athletic Center on Jan. 30. It created a starting opportunity for Jermaine Crumpton, who had been an effective bench player for coach Jim Baron?s team, which had moved into fourth place in the conference standings.
Now Crumpton is gone for the rest of the season, including Friday night?s home game against Rider.
The 6-foot-6 redshirt freshman from Niagara Falls suffered a broken bone in his right foot attempting to score the tying basket in the final seconds of the Griffs? 44-40 loss to Monmouth last Sunday. An MRI confirmed the injury and he will undergo surgery on Friday.
Crumpton had played in all 23 games for the Griffs and averaged 7.3 points a game. His high game, 18 points, came in his first collegiate start, on Feb. 1 against Marist.
Canisius (12-11, 7-7 MAAC) has lost three straight without Valenti and has dropped into a tie for fifth in the conference. Rider (16-9, 10-4 MAAC) is in second place, two games behind Iona. The Broncos from Lawrenceville, N.J., have completed their season series with the Gaels but have important games left with Manhattan and Monmouth, each 9-5.
Rider?s scoring leader is 7-foot senior center Matt Lopez (12.8 ppg), who also is averaging 7.9 rebounds per game.
