Siena fell 72-64 at the hands of Purdue Friday afternoon in Spokane, Washington.
The story of this game was Purdue’s defense. Big Ten Defensive player of the year Chris Kramer showed up to play. Siena came out a bit out of sync, but led going into halftime. But then, Purdue came out of the break on fire– a 13-0 run, raining threes, and shutting down Ubiles and Franklin. They frustrated the rest of the Saints as well as Siena dug themselves deeper into what was eventually a 15 point defecit.
Like this team always has been– they were resilient, even without their three point shooter Clarence Jackson. They trimmed the lead to 3 with under two minutes to go. With Lewis Jackson, Purdue’s PG on the line for a 1 and 1, he put up a shot and got an absolute gift after he slapped one off the brick of the rim and it weakly fell in. After that, the game was iced.
And so it ends… the best Siena class in history is gone. It will really be tough to watch this team without Edwin, Alex, and Ronald as we’ve become accustomed to seeing.
CBS will have highlights soon, but for more, check out the boxscore ยป. Congrats to the Boilermakers on a hard fought match. They were the better team today.
Saints, thanks again for a great year. And seniors, thanks for an amazing four. We’ll be talking about you and this team for years to come.
this game was absolutely heartbreaking to watch. Absolute gift is right. Never seen a brick like that fall in. There was alwats that one shot we couldnt hit. Will miss the big 3 greatly.
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Purdue fans do feel lucky about Jackson’s good bounce. It sucks to see a class of 3 great players’ final game, especially with a thought for what could’ve been. Back in ‘88 Purdue’s season ended against a Kansas State team we’d beaten earlier by 29. Mitch Richmond had a monster game and our PG dribbled a ball off his foot.
Thanks to you guys making the run-up that much more fun and entertaining for Purdue fans. The Siena fans on the internet always had a lot interesting to say and showed lots of class. Many Purdue fans are feeling very relieved right now, and I think we are pleased with the team’s performance.
Best wishes for next season and beyond.
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Andrew – good luck the rest of the way in the tournament. Many Saints fans will be pulling for you the rest of the way. Would love to have players like Kramer on Siena – tough defensive player…must be a real joy to root for!
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Siena,
Great game today….your team was a joy to watch go against my Boilermakers. You guys are true sports, and have a lot to be proud of. Best of luck in the future, but I hope we don’t see you again any time soon….you guys are a tough out!
Thanks,
David, Purdue ‘07
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