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SienaSaintsBlog:  What Siena player are you looking forward to seeing play this year?

Raphielle Johnson/CollegeHoops.Net: Kyle Downey’s return will be good for the backcourt if he can stay healthy but the one player I really want to see is O.D. Anosike. You don’t just replace a player the caliber of Ryan Rossiter; other guys need to step up their play to collectively make up for the departure of a player like Ryan. Anosike averaged 8.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game last season, so clearly there will be more chances for him to increase those numbers. And with those chances will come more trips to the foul line, meaning that he’s got to step that part of his game up as well (how many points did Ringgold leave on the court due to his free throw troubles?). There are plenty of Saints to point out but if they’re to have a shot at finishing 4th it’s got to be Anosike who takes a big step forward.

SienaSaintsBlog:  Coach Mitch Buonaguro doesn’t want to call this a rebuilding year – but for all intents and purposes… is this a rebuilding year? where are the Saints on the cycle between retool/rebuild?

Raphielle Johnson/CollegeHoops.Net: I agree with Coach in terms of not using the dreaded “R word”; for a lot of fans that could also mean “resume”, as in “update your resume”. I think Siena’s in between retooling and rebuilding, with guys who are going from their freshman to sophomore years to step up. Rakeem Brookins is a player who comes to mind in that regard, as does Trenity Burdine and senior Brandon Walters needs to make good on his talent as well. Downey and Owen Wignot will help with regards to having steady leadership (as will Anosike), but the youngsters will need to step up as well.

SienaSaintsBlog:  What two things need to happen for Siena to have a good season?

Raphielle Johnson/CollegeHoops.Net: The two things that need to happen are:

1. Anosike needs to become a consistent force on the low block. Not say he’s got to be on the level of a Mike Glover or Rossiter (that would be unrealistic) but he has to be a guy that Coach and the staff can count on for 13+ points and 7+ rebounds per night.

2. Brookins needs to become one of the better point guards in the MAAC. He’s clearly going to be tested when considering a Derek Needham or Scott Machado, but there’s room to take some steps when considering the losses at a Niagara (Anthony Nelson) or Saint Peter’s (Nick Leon). Can he get it done? Doing so will likely mean more scoring from him as well, but he’s got the tools needed to step up.

SienaSaintsBlog: Now for a MAAC preview, so you’re the believer in Rider this year (see here: article “Ignore Rider at Your Own Peril”) – make the case, can Rider win it?

Raphielle Johnson/CollegeHoops.Net: I think the Broncs can win the MAAC, although there is a gap between Fairfield, Iona and the rest of the conference. Rider loses two key players in Justin Robinson and Mike Ringgold, but in Novar Gadson they’ve got one of the best players in the conference. Jonathon Thompson (2nd on the team in assists per game last season) will have an expanded role that in talking with Coach Dempsey early in the fall he’s ready to take on, and freshman Eddie Mitchell will be key as well. And you can’t talk Rider front court play without mentioning reigning MAAC Rookie of the Year Danny Stewart. Brandon Penn provides another experienced body inside, and Virginia transfer Jeff Jones ranks right up with Fairfield’s Rakim Sanders and Desmond Wade when discussing the top transfers. What Rider will need to do in order to pass the two favorites is continue to improve defensively. The numbers improved last season when compared to prior campaigns, but they need to continue defending at a consistent level in order to have a shot.

SienaSaintsBlog: With MoMo Jones now eligible for the Iona Gaels, does anyone stand in their way?

Raphielle Johnson/CollegeHoops.Net: The addition of MoMo Jones is a good one for the Gaels. A team that was already deep on the perimeter with the likes of Scott Machado, Kyle Smyth, Jermel Jenkins and Sean Armand among others adds another piece. But if anything I think this does more to widen the gap between Iona/Fairfield and the rest of the MAAC than anything else. Fairfield brings back a wealth of experience and in terms of impact transfers I’d take Rakim Sanders over Jones. I’ll stick with the Stags to win the league at this point, but those two regular season meetings will be ones that no hoops fan will want to miss.

SienaSaintsBlog: What’s your top 3 in the MAAC for this year?

Raphielle Johnson/CollegeHoops.Net: My Top 3 in the MAAC are Fairfield, Iona and Rider. Fairfield has a lot back for a defending champion, and their transfers (Rakim Sanders and Desmond Wade) will be able to step in and have an impact immediately. And don’t forget about freshman Adam Jones; his activity is something else the Stags can add off the bench. I really like Iona. They’re likely going to be the best offensive team in the MAAC. You look at guys like Machado, Glover, Jenkins, Smyth coming back, not to mention newcomers such as Momo Jones and Rashad James, and Tim Cluess won’t lack for weapons. But defensively I give the edge to Fairfield right now, even with a new head coach. Should be fun to watch, that’s for sure.

Follow Raphielle Johnson on twitter at @raphiellej

He departs Siena as the all-time rebounding leader at 1,151, as well as 10th on the all-time points list with 1,457.

Ryan is obviously a big fan favorite with a phenominal work ethic on the court. He’s also an even better dude off the court. Best of luck Ryan.

From SienaSaints.com…

Rossiter saved his best for last. He scored a career-high 34 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in Siena’s Senior Night win over archrival Marist. In the process, he broke Siena’s 61-year old single-season rebounding record, and racked up the 66th double-double of his career.

He leads the MAAC in points and rebounds per game– I would be shocked if he’s not MAAC POY.

Ryan shares the Player of the week honors with Junior Guard Scott Machado of Iona.

Photo courtesy of Shane Bufano for Siena Saints Blog.

The Saints stormed out of the gate in the second half, going on a 17-4 run to open up their largest lead of the night at 17 with 7:16 left in the game. The Saints shot 45.3% from the field (24-53) despite turning the ball over 20 times.

Ryan Rossiter finished with another double double– 14 points and 16 rebounds and played all 40 minutes of action.

Clarence Jackson led the Saints with 17 points on 5-10 shooting for a Saints team that made half of their three pointers (8-16).

Trenity Burdine led the Saints bench with 12 points and 3 of Siena’s 7 steals. O.D. Anosike notched his 5th double-double of the year with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Troy Barnies led the Maine Black Bears with 14 points and 9 rebounds.

The Saints will aim to keep positive momentum as they travel to Fairfield Friday night in an ESPN2 game.

It was also the beginning of the end for the Saints.

Although the JumboTron showed 6:07 remaining and the score knotted at 47, the Siena Saints couldn’t overcome the loss of Anosike in the front court and fell to the St. Peter’s Peacocks, 67 – 57, on Wednesday night.

The final score belied the nature of the contest, a hardscrabble, tooth-and-nail affair that pitted Siena star forward Ryan Rossiter against the long arms and springy legs of the St. Peter’s frontcourt.

In the postgame press conference, St. Peter’s head coach John Dunne said that his game plan revolved around making life miserable for Rossiter.

At the end of the day, our focus is [on] Rossiter,” he said. “What I said before the game [was], ‘Rossiter is going to score twenty [points] and get 12 or 13 rebounds, but how hard are you going to make him work [for them]? The harder he has to work [for them, the less opportunities there will be] for other guys.

Even though Rossiter made some big shots, like he normally does, I thought we did a good job [of] crowding him and making him miss a few key ones. We crowded him and doubled him a few times. We forced him into a couple of contested shots that just kind of rimmed out.

Rossiter did his part, scratching and clawing for team highs of 21 points and 16 rebounds, earning both the hard way. But he sure could have used some more help on the glass, especially at the end.

That’s why losing teammate Anosike to foul trouble hurt so much.

Mitch Buonaguro described the game as a grinder and admitted it all came down to the last few minutes.

Given the chance to measure itself against a M.A.A.C. title contender, Siena came up short yet again.

Senior guard Clarence Jackson added 13 points on 6-13 shooting, while point guard Rakeem Brookins returned to the starting lineup and added 11 points on 5-9 shooting to go along with three assists.

However, as a team, Siena shot a dreadful 33.9% from the field. The Saints also shot themselves in the foot by coughing up 16 turnovers. The Peacocks shot a similarly woeful 34.3% from the field and had ten turnovers, but managed to make enough plays when they needed them to secure the victory. Rossiter and company battled St. Peter’s to a virtual standstill on the glass, with the Peacocks enjoying a slim 42-41 rebounding advantage, but anyone in attendance could tell you that St. Peter’s played a rugged, high-energy defensive game. That emphasis on rebounding and defense played a critical role in the game’s closing minutes.

I thought we just did a good job with energy,” St. Peter’s head coach John Dunne said. “That’s our philosophy, every game, regardless [of] who our opponent is. For us, we’re just trying to play hard and focus on the defense end, game in and game out, regardless of who our opponent is.

Siena has now dropped four contests in a row. What makes this trend particularly problematic is that it appears more likely now that Siena will finish in a lower slot than the top six teams in the Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference heading into the M.A.A.C. postseason conference tournament. If the Saints end up as a seventh seed or lower, they will have to play an additional play-in game, which increases their odds of being sent home early. Only one team has ever won the tournament despite having to play their way in. Siena pulled off the feat successfully in 2002, but will no doubt love to avoid being placed in that precarious position this year.

There’s fight left in these Saints, but unless they can find a way to convert willpower to wins, it appears the Saints will limp across the finish line.

SEEN & HEARD

Before the game, forward Ryan Rossiter earned himself a standing ovation from the 7,204 fans in attendance. Rossiter was awarded a game ball for his efforts in securing the title of Siena’s all-time leading rebounder…

Erik Etherly and Robert Olson led the Greyhounds with 15 points each for a team that shot 19-35 (54.3%) from two-point range and made four of their seven three pointers in the second half. The Greyhounds shot an astounding 7-13 (53.8%) from inside the arc in the second half and made 4-6 from behind the arc.

Senior Ryan Rossiter led the Saints with 23 points and 20 rebounds while Clarence Jackson struggled, shooting just 2-12 from the field, scoring 5 points. Jackson has played in five of Siena’s last eight games, shooting just 31.4% (17-54) from the field.

Rossiter became Siena’s all-time leading rebounder with his 20 rebound performance. It also marked the second time this season Rossiter picked up 20+ rebounds in a game, a feat he last made in Siena’s 86-77 Overtime loss at Princeton.

The Greyhounds took more free throws than the Saints attempted, making 17-21 (76.9%) while the Saints made just 7-10 (70%).

The Saints are 6-6 at home this season and 7-6 in the MAAC.

All five starters reached double figures, and Ryan Rossiter became just the second player in school history to amass 1,000 rebounds in his career, as Siena throttled red-hot Loyola 76-59 in Baltimore Friday night.

The victory snapped a two-game MAAC losing streak for the Saints (8-12/5-5), and kept the team within striking distance of the top half of the conference.

Siena used a 15-2 run to turn a one-point deficit into a 29-17 lead at the 8:01 mark of the first half and led by double figures the rest of the way.

Loyola (10-10, 6-4) lost for the first time in five games, and just the second time this calendar year. The Greyhounds knocked off MAAC front runner Fairfield, 66-65, here on January 14.

Rossiter led all players with 18 points, and picked up his benchmark rebound just 19 seconds into the second half. He left the game momentarily in the second half after being hit in the groin, and returned with vengeance. He scored seven straight points after reentering at the 15:33 mark, pushing Siena’s lead to 20, 52-32, with 13:50 to play.

The Greyhounds closed within 10, 65-55, on a 3-pointer from J’hared Hall with 6:26 to play, but Siena scored the next six points to put the game away.

OD Anosike scored a career-high 16 points and added eight rebounds for Siena. Owen Wignot had 14 points and seven boards, Kyle Downey finished with 13 and Rakeem Brookins had 11 points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals.

The difference in the game was Siena’s shooting and its aggressive zone defense. The Saints shot 53% from the field after consecutive games of extremely poor shooting. Loyola shot just 33% and looked lost at times.

Justin Drummond came off the bench to lead the Greyhounds with 12 points. Three players added 10 apiece.

Siena hosts Niagara Sunday at 2 p.m.

Siena’s shooting woes have got to be frustrating for both the players and coaching staff.   The team was not taking a ton of low percentage shots, it is unexplainable how your post players (exluding Ryan Rossiter) shoot 1-11 from the field.   It does not matter how great of a gameplan you put together, if you do not put the ball in the hoop, more often than not you are going to wind up on the losing end.

As a team how do you go about correcting the obvious shooting woes? A very difficult question to answer besides staying positive, telling the guys to trust in their shot, not to dwell on the misses, most importantly continue to hustle, and eventually the shots will fall.

This team has shown that it has the talent to win tough ball games and the desire to compete even without Rossiter’s co-senior, Clarence Jackson.  Evident once again on Monday night as they rallied from a dismal 1st half performance with a 16-0 run early in the 2nd half to take a 36-35 lead.   The question remains is will they be able to establish a model of consistency in the 2nd half of conference play?

Room for Improvement:

Going to refrain from stating the obvious. If you did not see the game last night, 21-71 from the field (29.6%).

Keys to Success:

Midway MAAC POY. Ryan Rossiter’s continued ability to put this team on his back and will the team to compete has been a huge bright spot in a season marred by injury and inconsistency.   Anyone who does not feel he has earned MAAC POY honors please speak up now or forever hold your peace.

Team Defense. The Saints delivered another superb performance on the defensive end as they held the MAAC’s leader in 3’s to a meager 31.8%, well below their season average.   Siena forced 14 turnovers and held Rider to 68 points (7 below their season average).

Five Facts:

1.  Ryan Rossiter was 2-2 from 3 point range, and now has 5 for his career.

2.  Rider outscored Siena 11-0 in fast break points.

3.  Siena attempted 14 more shots than Rider (71-57).

4.  Rider made 3 more shots than Siena (24-21).

5.  The Saints have had 5 multiple game losing streaks this season.

Five Questions:

1.  When was the last time a Siena team was limited to 18 points in a half?

2.  Where does this team go from here?

3.  Will Siena finish higher than their mid season standing of 6th?

4.  Any thoughts on a midterm grade for the Saints?

5.  Will this team play a game all year at full strength?

Five Words:

A team that doesn’t quit.