ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) Phil Valenti had a pair of layups in in the final 70 seconds and No. 7 seed Canisius held off No. 10 Marist, 77-73 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament first round Thursday night.
Valenti gave the Golden Griffins a 74-70 lead with 1:10 remaining but missed a free throw that would have completed the 3-point play, then made another layup to make it 76-72 with :49 remaining.
Khallid Hart tried a 3-pointer to tie with :21 left but Kassius Robertson blocked the shot. Kiefer Douse hit the first of two free throws with eight seconds left to put the game out of reach.
Canisius (18-14) advances to play No. 2 seed St. Peter's on Friday.
Valenti finished with 23 points to lead the Golden Griffins. Douse contributed 17 points and Robertson added another 12.
Brian Parker scored 22 points off the bench to lead Marist (8-24). Hart added 16 points.
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