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ALBANY, NY â€" Senior guard Marquis Wright scored 19 of his 26 points in the second half, but it wasn't enough to rally Siena Basketball back from an 18-point deficit as Canisius held on for an 80-73 triumph in front of a season-high crowd of 7,209 at the Times Union Center. Phil Valenti led five in double figures with 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Golden Griffins which completed the regular season series sweep of the Saints to draw even with Siena for fourth place in the MAAC Standings.

Kiefer Douse and Kassius Robertson added 13 points apiece for Canisius (14-10, 7-6) which has won eight of the past 10 meetings between the programs. Jermaine Crumpton and Isaiah Reese each scored 10 points for the Golden Griffins which bounced back after having dropped four of their previous five.

Seniors Javion Ogunyemi and Lavon Long added 20 and 16 points, respectively, for Siena (10-14, 7-6) which scored all 28 of its field goals in the paint. The Saints were 0-8 from three-point range, marking the second time this season in which they failed to convert from beyond the arc after having gone their previous 221 games with at least one make.

Canisius shot 56% from the field in the first half and led by as many as 18, in ending the stanza on a 27-13 run to claim a 47-32 lead at the break. Valenti scored 15 of his points in the first half, including 10 straight for the Golden Griffins during a personal 84-second spurt.

But in a game that was eerily similar to last month's matchup in Buffalo in which the Saints trailed by 13 midway through the second half before rallying to within as a close as two late, Siena once again nearly battled all the way back.

The Saints opened the second half by connecting on 10 of their first 12 shots to help fuel an 18-7 spurt to pull within 59-54 with 12:53 remaining. Siena shot 57% in the second half, while holding the MAAC's top shooting squad to just 33% in aiding their comeback bid.

After Canisius pushed the lead back to 12 with 6:15 to go, the Saints responded once more with the next nine points to make it a one-possession game at 74-71 with 3:32 left. But Siena cooled off late as the Saints missed their final five shots in falling for just the eighth time in 42 home games against the Golden Griffins during the program's Division I era.

Siena returns to action Tuesday when the Saints travel to face rival Iona at 7 p.m. in New Rochelle.