Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers (12-19) vs Canisius Golden Griffins (9-19)
Game Info: Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at 5:00 pm (Boardwalk Hall)
Betting Odds: Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers +2 -- Over/Under: 137.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Canisius Golden Griffins and the Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers will meet in Atlantic City to face off in the first round of the MAAC Championship at Boardwalk Hall on ESPN+. MSM won both meetings this season by five points combined.
Canisius closed at 10-19 after beating Niagara in Buffalo. The Golden Griffins jumped out to a huge halftime lead and held on to beat the Purple Eagles by thirteen. Canisius is scoring 70.5 points per game, while allowing 73.9 ppg and shooting 39.5% from the field.
Canisius won five of their last six games, and that one loss was to MSM by a single point, so they’ll be out to avenge that here. Fifth-year starter Jordan Henderson scored a season-high 28 points in that one-point loss to The Mount, and he’s leading Canisius in scoring (13.8). Sophomore guard Tahj Staveskie scored 24 points in the home finale win over Niagara, and he’s second on the team at 12.3 ppg.
Mount St. Mary’s finished at 12-19 after beating Manhattan in the Bronx. The Mountaineers led by double digits at the break and held on to win by five points, 74-69. MSM scores 62.0 points per game, while allowing 64.6 ppg, and shooting 41.3% from the field.
Mount St. Mary’s won four of their last five games, and they’ll look to secure their first ever Metro League tournament win here Tuesday. Senior guard Jalen Benjamin led The Mount in scoring again this season after scoring 21 points or more in four of his last six games to bring his season total to 15.8 ppg. Third-year guard Dakota Leffew led the team with 22 points in the recent win over Canisius, and he’s up to a career-best 13.2 ppg. Senior forward Malik Jefferson grabbed double digit rebounds in each of the last two games against Rider and Manhattan, and he leads MSM in rebounding (7.3), while scoring 8.8 ppg.
Canisius is 16-12 against the spread this season, with a 16-12 over/under record. MSM is 11-17-2 ATS this year, with a 15-15 o/u record.
These two schools faced off in a shootout a couple of weeks ago, and I think we may see a similar contest here. The Mount matched Canisius’ frantic pace in that contest, and with both of their season’s on the line, that same sense of urgency could be displayed here. Take the over for this first round MAAC Championship contest.
Corey’s Pick Over 137.5
AUTHOR: Corey Ghee
Mitch's Take...
