The Siena Saints (1-0) soundly defeated the Tennesse St. Tigers (0-1) 85-69 to start the season off with a victory. What started out as a sloppy exchange, quickly turned into a blowout as the Saints pulled away in the second half.
The majority of the first half was a back-and-forth match with both teams applying heavy defensive pressure and causing a number of turnovers. While Siena did commit double-digit turnovers in the first half (29 for the game), this should be expected for the first game of the season. Alex Franklin was perfect from the field in the first half and ended with 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Clarence Jackson hit the team’s first three pointer of the year as the half was drawing to a close. Jackson continued his hot shooting and finished as the game’s high scorer with 24 points. Junior Josh Sain kept the Tigers in contention with 14 first half points. Freshman Robert Covington was Tennesse St.’s leading scorer with 21 points.
Siena went into halftime up by ten points after being tied with approximately four minutes left in the half. The Saints kept the momentum going into the second half and immediately began extending their lead. Their relentless full court defense lead to a couple powerful Franklin dunks, and Jackson started off hot and never cooled. Siena ended up shooting an amazing 65% from the field, to Tennesse St.’s 42%. The Saints also won the rebounding game 35-24, and the steals category 21-16. Siena lead at one point by over 30 points, but the Tigers made a small run toward the end to pull within 14.
The Saints’ next game will be against Northeastern on Tuesday Nov. 13th, and will be televised nationally at noon on ESPN 2.
Ronald Moore and Kyle Downy should also be commended for their solid efforts in tonight’s game. Moore’s aggresive offensive and defensive pressure put Tenn. St. on their heals the entire game, and Downy provided some quality points from off the bench. The team definitely played well tonight, but will need a better outing from Edwin Ubiles to beat a talented Northeastern squad on Tuesday.
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