BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Allegheny College men's basketball team went head-to-head with Division I Canisius University of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), falling to the Golden Griffins in an exhibition game on Thursday night, 84-43.

The result won't count against Allegheny's record, but the matchup against Canisius (1-1) inside the Koessler Athletic Center provided the Gators a chance to test their mettle against a tough opponent before the season kicks off. It marked Allegheny's first meeting against a D-I foe since the Gators battled Youngstown State in a 96-59 loss on November 22, 2008.

Senior forward James Sitter (Erie, Pa./Fairview) led the team with 10 points, all coming in the first half. He scored Allegheny's first six points of the night with 3-pointers that helped the Blue and Gold cut an early 10-0 deficit down to six points at 15-9 approximately nine minutes into the contest. He then poured in four consecutive points as the Gators outscored the Golden Griffins 7-4 in the last three minutes of the opening half. 

Allegheny's leading returning scorer from last season, senior guard Ryan Lang (Sarver, Pa./Knoch), added six points, followed by junior guard Jayson Perry (Tampa, Fla./Sickles) and first-year forward Pijus Latauskas (Vilnius, Lithuania/Kiski Prep (Pa.)) with six each. Latauskas also hauled in six rebounds, just one shy of Max Wallace's (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) team-high of seven.

Inside the Box Score

• Allegheny shot 32.0% overall (16-of-50) with eight field goals and two 3-pointers in each half.
• Ten of the 15 players who checked into the game earned at least two points.
• Sitter scored a team-high 10 points with two 3-pointers.
• Lang logged six points with two rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
• Perry added five points and tied Sitter with a team-high two blocks.
• Wallace and Eli Teslovich (Belle Vernon, Pa./Shady Side Academy) each made two field goals and finished with four points.
• Canisius had five players finish in double figures while shooting 48.5% on the night (32-of-66).
• The Golden Griffins utilized their size advantage to outrebound the Gators, 44-to-30.
• Bryan Ndjonga (17), Kahlil Singleton (16), and Chris Kumu (16) paced the Canisius offense.

News and Notes

• Although Thursday's contest is a countable game for D-I Canisius, it served as an exhibition game for the Gators.
• Allegheny took on a Division I opponent for the first time since 2008.
• Freshmen Owen Maddalon (Cranberry Township, Pa./North Catholic) and Latauskas were both included in the starting lineup, while fellow first-years Cohen Pease (East Liverpool, Ohio/East Liverpool), Jacob Szep (Armstrong, Pa./Armstrong), Trace Williams (Columbus, Ohio/Grandview Heights), and Wallace each earned playing time off the bench.

Up Next
Allegheny officially opens the 2025-26 campaign at Carlow University in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, November 12, at 7 p.m.