The Siena Saints (7-4, 2-0) beat the Rider Broncs (8-6, 1-1) 84-62 for an important MAAC victory that may come into play later on this season.

Siena started strong and entered halftime with a 16 point lead. On the offensive end, the Saints seemed able to score in any situation. As usual, Ronald Moore was superb running the fast break adding 12 more assists to his already stellar resume, while the outside shooters dusted off some rust to hit some clutch 3’s. One factor throughout the game was the physical dominance of Siena’s big men in half court settings as Ryan Rossiter and Alex Franklin got to the basket at will. Both players ended with double-doubles. Franklin and Clarence Jackson led all scorers with 22 points with Jackson sinking four 3-pointers.The Saints stayed in zone for most of the game as Rider continued to beat themselves by not making shots. The team remained focused and didn’t let their large halftime lead slip away. Kyle Griffin did a solid job at point giving Moore some much deserved rest.

Forward Mike Ringgold led his team with 16 points and G Justin Robinson added 11 for the Broncs. Rider could not overcome their first half offensive woes, shooting only36% and going 0-15 from beyond the 3-point line. Senior Ryan Thompson was held to just 4 points in the game. In what was expected to be a close game between two conference heavyweights, ended up being a blow out by half. Rider now enters into a slight break in schedule where they don’t play again until after the new year.

This game was highlighted by forceful dunks (Franklin), intimidating blocks (Rossiter), and balanced scoring and passing from the entire team. This is the type of Saints performance that validates the preseason opinions of MAAC coaches and basketball experts who picked Siena as the favorite to win the conference.