Siena (0-0 2-0) emerged victorious in a low-scoring defensive battle against the Northeastern Huskies (0-0 0-1), winning 59-53. The Saints extend their Times Union Center winning streak to 22 games as timely outside shooting and clutch free-throws down the stretch helped Siena secure the win.

For the Saints this was a tale of two halves. The game began with a number of unforced turnovers, and the team struggled to shoot from the field. The players, coaches, and fans were getting frustrated as Northeastern jumped out to a 20-6 lead. Similar to the Tennessee St. game, the Saints ended the half strong and went into the locker room trailing by only six. In the second half Siena looked much more aggressive on both sides of the court, and the shooting finally came around (heck, even Rossiter hit a 3-pointer). Ubiles had an impressive performance in front of the Albany home crowd finishing as the game’s high scorer with 26 points. At times he looked unstoppable on offensive, and was able to create his own shot seemingly at will. The team needed this type of game from Ubiles because he was clearly the most athletic player on the court. Rossiter contributed a solid double-double outing (13 pts, 14 rbs) and did an excellent defensive job against the Huskies powerful frontcourt players. Jackson had two aerobatic blocks that kept the Saints in the game early on and helped create the momentum shift the team desperately needed. While Moore finished the game with only four points, they were all on clutch foul shots down the stretch to seal the win.

This was not an easy victory for Siena, and all the credit for that goes to the great efforts by the Northeastern players. They refused to quit, and never allowed the Saints to put the game out of reach until the very end. If this game is any indication, the Huskies should be in the hunt to visit atop the standings in the Colonial Athletic Conference. Matt Janning lead the team with 14 points, and point guard Chaisson Allen finished with 11 points. Center Nken Ojougboh should also be commended for being a solid paint presence for the Huskies. A lot of credit must go to Siena’s defense because at no point during the game did a Northeastern player seem to dominate on offensive, and it was clear it was difficult for them to get into a consistent rhythm.

While there seemed to be a lacking student body turnout for a nationally televised game, there was an excellent overall attendance for a noon tip-off game at the TUC. For the first ten minutes there were more Northeastern students than Siena students in the stands, and since the team wasn’t playing well the crowd wasn’t vocal. However, students began trickling in right on time as the team went on their second half run and the atmosphere intensified quickly. Thank you to all the students, alumni, and fans who helped welcome in college basketball to the capital region for another exciting season.

The Saints fought hard for a nice comeback win, but they have another tough opponent this Saturday at Temple. With this victory over Northeastern and a win over Temple, Siena will only increase their bid to be voted into the AP Top 25 Poll. They may also need a loss from a current Top 25 team, so if you can please catch a game or two on TV to root against one of these programs.