Times have changed for Canisius, NU
By ALLEN WILSON
News Sports Reporter
2/12/2003
Talk about a reversal of fortune.
When Canisius and Niagara met in November, the Golden Griffins walked out of the Gallagher Center with a decisive 89-69 victory that wasn't as close as the final score.
The win was the highlight of the Griffs' 5-2 start. For the Purple Eagles, it was one of five losses in their first six games.
The season has changed dramatically for both teams as they prepare for the 155th renewal of their rivalry tonight at 8 in the Koessler Center.
The Canisius and Niagara women square off in the first game of the doubleheader at 5:45 p.m.
Canisius (8-14, 4-9 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) has won just six times since beating Niagara, and takes a four-game losing streak into the contest. Niagara (11-10, 7-5) has won five of its last seven, including an impressive 11-point victory at Fairfield on Sunday.
"It's definitely a big game for us because we have to get ourselves righted, and I'm sure they remember what we did to them in November," Griffs coach Mike MacDonald said. "They're coming in with revenge on their mind and they've won two in a row at Koessler, so it's going to be a tremendous test."
Niagara is confident, but wary of a Canisius team that is dangerous despite its recent struggles.
"It's just going to be a junkyard brawl," Purple Eagles coach Joe Mihalich said. "It should've been played last week during ESPN's rivalry week. You hear it all the time, but when you're playing your arch-rival, you throw the records out the window."
"I wish we could throw the records out and not get them back," MacDonald deadpanned, trying to inject some humor into a difficult season.
Canisius has been short-handed all year because of injuries. Fatigue seems to have set in with some of the starters, who are forced to log heavy minutes.
Adding to the frustration is the fact they've suffered seven losses by five or fewer points. The Griffs blew double-digit second-half leads against Iona and Manhattan during their last homestand.
"Other than the Manhattan game (a 79-65 loss Saturday), we played well enough to win the last three games against Fairfield, Iona and Manhattan, which are the top three teams in the league, and we weren't able to get it done," MacDonald said. "Without a doubt, we have to play a great game (tonight) because we're playing a team that's playing great."
Niagara bears no resemblance to the bumbling team that opened the season. With so much youth and no defined leadership, Mihalich's worst fears were realized when the Purple Eagles got manhandled by the Griffs and suffered an embarrassing road loss to the University at Buffalo.
"We weren't on the same page as a team at the beginning of the season," said Niagara swingman Tremmell Darden. "But nobody ever put their head down and lost confidence. Everyone understands his role now and we're playing with a lot more energy. We're starting to get on a roll at the right time."
Niagara is rolling thanks to its Big Four of Darden (17 points and 5.8 rebounds per game), forward Juan Mendez (17.4 ppg, 8.6 rpg), center James Reaves (11.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg) and point guard Alvin Cruz (9.7 ppg, 5.7 assists).
Niagara also gets more lift from its bench since guard David Brooks (9.5 ppg) relinquished his starting spot to James Mathis. NU might have discovered another weapon in freshman guard Barry Durosier, who scored 18 points over two games last weekend.
"We're all proud of him," Mihalich said. "Hopefully he can build off last weekend."
For Canisius to rebound, it must have big games from struggling seniors Brian Dux and Hodari Mallory. Dux is averaging 12.5 points (three below his season average) and shooting 36.6 percent from the field during the current losing streak, while Mallory is scoring five points under his 17.1 average and shooting 38.3 percent. They also combined for 18 turnovers in Canisius' last two home games.
"The pressure is on us, as it should be," Mallory said. "The rest of the guys feed off us, so we have to provide more leadership, play with more fire and get this team to play with a sense of urgency."
