Evan Hymes made three pointer after three pointer scoring 19 points in a first half that was a game of runs.  The Saints had one of their better starts in their last five games, running out to a 7-2 lead, but UAlbany went on a 13-0 run behind a hot shooting Mike Black who had 13 points in the first half.

The Saints stemmed the tide for a bit, but after going on an 11-0 run the Great Danes would run their lead up to 31-12.  The Saints would have another run of their own, getting the score back to 31-23, but turnovers plagued them again for the second straight game.  With time running out, Evan Hymes came up with yet another bomb from deep with time running out in the half to get the Saints down only 37-29 at the half.

Siena came out strong in the second half punctuated by a monster jam by OD Anosike on the first possession to get the score to 37-31.  That would cap a 19-6 run for the Saints going back to the first half.  After another big jam by OD, Rob Poole would drain a three to cut the deficit to three at 40-37.

The Saints would tie the game with 12:13 left to go when OD went up to the basket, lost it, then put it back and got fouled.  OD would complete the three point play to even the score at 44-44.  Brandon Walters then stepped up as the Saints’ other big man down low to extend the lead to 50-46.

The turning point of the game, though, occurred at the 9 minute mark when Mike Black was called for a flagrant foul against Kyle Downey at the top of the key.  Downey would go the the line and sink both free throws, and while the Danes would pressure the Saints the rest of the way, the Saints had just enough to hold on for the win.

OD Anosike, who had a slow start to the season offensively, had his best game in the Green and Gold, scoring 21 points and grabbing 18 rebounds.  Brandon Walters, who had a strong start overall to the year but faltered the last few games, came back strong with a double double of his own.  And while he had his miscues early, Kyle Downey’s senior leadership down the stretch was invaluable.  Evan Hymes continued to impress, and while he’s only a freshman is proving to be the catalyst to the team.

The halftime numbers were virtually even except for the Saints giving up 6 more turnovers than the Danes, and the Saints would wind up dominating the game on the boards.  Siena stepped up in the second half and came through with not just a much needed win, but a big win against their crosstown rival.  The Saints will look to continue their winning ways against UMASS on Friday night.

SienaSaintsBlog Gerardo Suero is a top scorer in the nation, so we need a scouting report on a newcomer Saints fans haven’t seen yet…

One Bid Wonders Week 1 Player of the Week – Albany’s Gerardo Suero

“Gerardo Suero is out there. He can’t be bargained with. He can’t be reasoned with. He doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And he absolutely will not stop, ever, until he scores.”

Matthew Whitrock / One Bid Wonders I don’t know if you ever saw John Holland at BU, but he’s the closest recent comparison I have to Suero ability-wise, with three crucial differences. One, Suero is probably a better athlete than Holland – not by a huge margin, but there’s a reason why Suero was being recruited by Big East schools as a high schooler (and by Big East schools I mean Pitt, not DePaul). Two, Holland liked to lean on his jumper more than he had to, and often would only drive when the situation absolutely demanded it or if his jumper wasn’t working; Suero’s M.O. is a lot more direct: get the ball, get to the rim, repeat as necessary. Three, if Holland was great off the dribble – at the AE level he was, the only player who could reliably guard him was Tommy Brenton – Suero is otherworldly. He’s still learning that driving into a crowd is going to result in a turnover more often than not at this level, but anything short of a full team effort is not going to be enough to slow him down. And don’t get any ideas about stopping him, that won’t happen. Any individual defender you put on Suero will be overmatched.

SienaSaintsBlog How much pressure is there on Coach Will Brown to make sure this Albany team turns it around?

Matthew Whitrock / One Bid Wonders Will Brown, I don’t think he’s in hot water. Before last year, yes, the seat was probably a bit warm, but he was coming off a last-place season, so that’s to be expected. Last season Albany showed a lot of progress in getting back to .500. With Hartford, Binghamton, and UMBC all in full-on rebuilding mode, the chances of Albany having a bottom-third season are somewhere between slim and none, and I think it would take that type of regression for Brown to get a pink slip. Even if the Danes don’t have a great season, I’d think that Brown would get, at worst, a chance to coach Black/Aronhalt/Suero as seniors in 2012-13.

As a side note, ever since Dennis Wolff was fired after the 2008-09 season, Brown has been the longest-tenured head coach in the AE (Bill Herrion was at Drexel back in the day, but his AE tenure hasn’t been continuous).

SienaSaintsBlog What positives can you take out of Albany’s performances against higher competition (Pitt/Syracuse/Mason)

Matthew Whitrock / One Bid Wonders Obviously Albany got blown out against their higher-level opponents. The one obvious positive you can take is that Suero can score against anyone. Not to sound like a broken record, but he’s a machine. The other thing of note is the foul rates. For all intents and purposes, Albany’s rotation runs eight-deep – John Puk plays 15 minutes, everyone after him is playing eight minutes or less. Albany can probably afford to run the end of its bench out there against the lower-level AE teams, but against tougher competition you’re probably going to see that eight-man rotation. In order for that to work, the Danes have to stay out of foul trouble, and right now the Danes are doing that. As a bonus, it keeps the opponent off the line and gives the Danes an opportunity to really leverage the free throw attempt advantage Suero can provide. I don’t want to give Albany too much credit defensively because Pitt and Syracuse straight-up murdered the Danes on the glass in those games, but at least Albany had a theoretical chance if it could keep its best players on the floor offensively. The Danes would have no chance if Suero/Aronhalt/Black had to sit.

SienaSaintsBlog  What is the biggest weakness of this team?

Matthew Whitrock / One Bid Wonders Offensively, Albany’s weakness is inside. Unless Siena plans on letting Suero ‘get his’ – not a great idea, he might score 40 if the Saints take that approach – the Saints are going to have to sell out to stop him. When Suero drives, throw the kitchen sink at him. Make him go one-on-three. Suero has the ball in his hands all the time but is averaging less than two assists a game. Make him turn into a passer. If other guys beat you, fine. But do whatever you have to do to keep Suero from getting comfortable, because before you know it two or three buckets turn into seven or eight. And don’t assume that he’s going to stop if he misses a couple of early shots. Remember, he’s the Terminator. He has no conscience. Aronhalt and Black are both talented, but they’re streaky.

Defensively, attack the paint. Collectively, the Danes block a decent number of shots, but there’s nobody roaming the paint that inspires fear. None of Albany’s guards are elite perimeter stoppers. If Siena can’t get inside and get shots off against the Danes, God help the Saints against the top half of the MAAC. Beyond that, the Danes really only go three-deep inside: Luke Devlin, Blake Metcalf, and Puk. Get them in foul trouble and all of a sudden Albany has to start doing things on defense that Brown probably doesn’t want to do.

SienaSaintsBlog What’s your key to this game?

Matthew Whitrock / One Bid Wonders The key to the game, if it’s not already obvious, is don’t let Suero outscore the entire team. I’m exaggerating, but I’m only exaggerating a little bit. He is that dangerous – if Siena comes out of a media timeout flat, expect him to score on every possession between then and the next timeout. There’s really no way to describe how different he is from what is normally seen at this level without sounding like a raving lunatic.

SienaSaintsBlog What would it mean for Albany to win two-straight Albany Cup’s?  The last time Albany won two straight over Siena was 1971-72, 72-73 seasons.

Unranked AE It would mean a lot, though not as much as it it meant back in the 70′s (check back at unrankedae.com Monday for some investigative reporting on the rivalry during that era) and not as much as I would’ve thought last year. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to thrash Siena as much as the next guy, but last year’s win helped make the season. It was a tangible step in the right direction, vanquished some demons, and really helped the fan base re-embrace Timmy Ambrose as he helped will the team to victory. This year, Siena lacks the luster of the Franklin-Ubiles-Moore years and Albany’s showing the most potential we’ve seen in years. If all we have to hang out hat on is a 2 game winning streak vs. Siena, while we watch the AE conference finals, that won’t be OK.

SienaSaintsBlog Is this a turning point in the rivalry?

Unranked AE Is this? I’d like to think so, but it’s far too early to call. Siena’s clearly in a bit of a trough now and Albany’s peaking. Will Brown wins with superstars, but we only have Suero for 2 years, so that means you have to project us reloading beyond what should be a stellar senior crew next year. However, the tide is rising in the AE — the top 4 or 5 teams are scoring some talented recruits and bringing through some young ambitious coaches (see: BU as an exemplar for both), and I’d be surprised if there’s extended winning streaks on either side for the next few years.

SienaSaintsBlog  Scout Gerardo Suero for us. How much of a matchup problem will he be for Siena?

Unranked AE Suero rolled his ankle before the FDU, was questionable to play, was eating a whopper before the game, started the game on a bike — then came on to score a cool 23 points in 23 minutes. He’s just on a different level than anyone else on the team and he adds a completely different dimension. Like Timmy, he’s a head down, drive to the lane almost all-offense guy — but where as Tim if you beat him to the spot and you had the courage to stand in while a 5’10 ball of muscle crashed into you, you could frustrate him and get him into offensives. At 6’4, Suero has the height and athleticism to change directions in the air and in the lane quickly, avoid body contact and he picks up a ton of fouls. We’ve never had any who can get to the line at the rate he does. One on one, I doubt anybody can guard him for Siena, but if you can keep him from coming around screens with a full head of steam, you can slow him down and force him into bad decisions. He’s also a streaky shooter, so you can take your chance and give him the three.

SienaSaintsBlog Is Coach Brown on thin ice?

Unranked AE Yes. Being up 10 with 10 minutes to go on UConn game is still a highlight of my life… but it’s getting to be a long time ago. Outside of Jamar, Albany has lagged well behind UVM and BU during his tenure and the team has lacked identity  or consistency (i.e. tough defense, precise offense). If Albany stumbled this year in a contract year, tough decision for UA athletic department because Brown has clearly started recruiting more amenable talent to his system and he’ll have a senior loaded team coming up. He needs 10+ conference wins and at least a trip to AE semi-finals. Even then, with probably the best player in the league, that will leave a bad taste in fans mouth.

SienaSaintsBlog What are your keys to the game?

Unranked AE Before the atrocious offensive outing against St. Peter’s, Siena was actually ranked higher than Albany by KenPom’s mathematical wizardry, in large part because of Siena’s superior defense. For a six-man rotation, that’s fairly impressive — but also a huge vulnerability to foul trouble (which Siena has mostly avoided). Suero getting to the line has to be the key to breaking through Siena’s D, if that happens, I expect everything else to open. If not, it will require some timely shooting from Logan Aronhalt and Mike Black and probably an x-factor like JUCO transfer Jayson Guerrier (who scored 28 earlier this year). Albany has the guns to outscore Siena, but if they’re cold from outside, it could be a tight game.

SienaSaintsBlog What’s your prediction for this year’s Albany Cup?

Unranked AE Going back to Kenpom, these teams are near identical in the rankings (UA – 206, Siena – 212) so it’s a toss-up from that angle. That said, Albany comes in as the more confident team and with the best player. Black and Logan both hit clutch shots in last years game and I think at least one of them with put together a high level performance to accompany Suero — I’ll take Albany by 69-61 in a slightly less heart-attack inducing game than years past.

* – Mass Mutal Center
** – MSG

Vermont: L, 80-76

Offense: C, Meager 3-14 from 3, 36.8% from the field, 23-29 from the free throw line, salvaging a passing grade.

Defense: C+, Outrebounded 44-30, allowed 47.3% from the field, forced 13 steals.

Overall: C, An inexperienced group showed glimpses of talent and were in this game down to the final possession.

Highlight Reel: Ryan Rossiter’s 27 points and 10 rebounds, season high 13 steals.

Minnesota: L, 76-69

Offense: B, Stellar 51% from the field,  9-17 (52.9%) from 3, only 53% from the line, season high 24 turnovers.

Defense: C+, Held Gophers to 7-22 from 3 (31.8%), forced 15 turnovers.

Overall: B-, To be able to go on the road in a hostile environment against a Power Conference foe and compete deserves some credit.

Highlight Reel: Clarence Jackson’s season high 29 points, “Rahk’s” 2nd half was a fab frosh performance.

Northeastern: W, 84-68

Offense: A, Shot a season high 56.9% from field, made 60% from 3, and 80% from the line, 20 turnovers kept this from an A+ performance.

Defense: A, Held Huskies to 40.7% from field, 29.6% from 3, outrebounded first opponent of season 37-24.

Overall: A, biggest margin of victory of the year (16 pts.).

Highlight Reel: Sensational senior performances from Rossiter and Jackson, 28 and 24 points respectively.

Butler: L, 70-57

Offense: C-, 2-11 from 3, 7-15 from the line, 45.3% from field which salvaged  this grade.

Defense: C+, Outrebounded 39-31, allowed 8 three’s, 8 steals.

Overall: C, competed against an experience group from Butler who was last season’s National Runner Up.

Highlight Reel: Rossiter dominates Matt Howard putting up 26 points and 15 rebounds.

Princeton: L, 86-77 OT

Offense: C, 38.6% from field, 5-20 from 3, 25 second chance points, 3-12 from field in OT.

Defense: C-, allowed season high 25-31 from the line, outscored 17-8 in OT, lost 6 point lead in final minute.

Overall: C+, were able to compete on the road after a strong conference victory over Rider, unable to do the little things down the stretch.

Highlight Reel: Ryan Rossiter season high 21 rebounds.  Five starters in double figures.

UAlbany: L, 88-82 OT

Offense: C, 19 turnovers, 44.6% from field, 17-21 from the line, second best offensive output of year with 82 points.

Defense: D, Season high 88 points allowed, 8 steals, allowed Albany to make 4-4 from field and 8-9 FT’s in OT.

Overall: D, Losing to your crosstown rival deserves a failing grade.

Highlight Reel: Trenity Burdine has a breakout game filling in for the injured Owen Wignot scoring a career high 14 points.

Florida Atlantic: W, 72-69

Offense: B, Outscored FAU 44-36 in the paint, and 10-4 on fast break points, made as many free throws as FAU attempted.

Defense: B, Held FAU to 4-21 from 3, 7 steals which lead to 15 points.

Overall: B, The first home win of the year against a team that entered this contest with a top 50 RPI.

Highlight Reel: Ryan Rossiter’s 7th double double in 9 games, 27 pts. 13 rebs.

Georgia Tech: W, 62-57

Offense: B+, Outscored Georgia Tech 18-5 from the line, outshot the Yellow Jackets 45.8% to 30.8% in 2nd half comeback.

Defense: A+, Execution of 2-3 zone was flawless in 2nd half holding Georgia Tech to 21 points, allowed 4-22 from 3, pounded the glass for 41-36 advantage.

Overall: A+, 2nd straight home win. A victory against an ACC foe deserves the best non-conference grade of season.

Highlight Reel: The 2-3 zone.  Best coached game of year.

St. Bonaventure: L, 82-79

Offense: B+, season high 11 3’s, +9 assist to turnover ratio, 100% from the line.

Defense: C-, -8 in the rebound department, allowed 48.2% from field, gave up season high 50 points in one half, 7 steals.

Overall: B-, Competed throughout the contest and the lack of execution down the stretch cost the Saints the game.  Great team performance.

Highlight Reel: Career high’s from Kyle Downey, “Rahk” Brookins, and Jonathan Breeden (21, 18, and 15 respectively).

St. Joseph’s: L, 58-48

Offense: D, Shot 32.8% from field, 2-17 from 3, 4-11 from line, season low 48 points.

Defense: B+, Held St. Joe’s to 36.2%, and 5-22 from 3.  Allowed season low 58 points.

Overall: C-, Offense was out of gas.  The defense kept them in the game in the worst offensive output of year.

Highlight Reel: The final whistle of this barnburner.

When to call or not to call a timeout, that is the question? In my opinion timeouts are an instinctual coaching decision. Coach B had the ball in the hands of one of his dynamic seniors, Clarence Jackson, with 10 seconds to play, calling a timeout would have allowed UAlbany to set up the right matchup on both Jackson and Rossiter off the timeout. It would have allowed Albany to pressure the inbounds, which Siena struggled with throughout the night– weighing in those factors, I think not calling a timeout was the “right call”.

That said, you do want to get the ball out of CJ’s hands into Rahk’s hands, so Clarence can come off a screen for a decent look, or run a pick and roll at the top of the key with Rossiter. Nonetheless there was a scramble for the ball and Rossiter had a clear look at a long range three that caromed off the back rim, sending the game to an extra session. The inexperience of this team was present yet again, as they were unable to execute in the final minutes of a hotly contested game (18 lead changes), eventually falling in overtime for the second game in a row.

Room for Improvement:
As I stated in my season preview that this team will go as Clarence Jackson goes, and the truth be told, CJ is 26-77 (33.7%) in the teams five losses, and is 14-22 (63%) in the two wins. You are not going to win too many games when you have more turnovers (19) than made free throws (17), a focal point going into a key week of practice leading up to a showdown Friday night with pre-season favorite Fairfield. Lastly, this team has shown that it’s inexperience is costly with the results in the last two OT losses, they just look out of sync when the game is on the line.

Keys to Success:
The continued dominance of Ryan Rossiter, he is an absolute beast at the mid-major level, his energy level is not matched by anyone on the court, he doesn’t know the word quit, I wish some of the other Saints would feed off his tenacity. The growth of the three or small forward with Owen Wignot and the breakout performance of Trenity Burdine is a sure plus. This position was a weak point in the first few games, but looks like it is developing into a positive as the year progresses with Wignot and now Burdine.

Five Facts:
1. Siena is 0-3 at home is their worst start since going Division I in 1976-1977.
2. Trenity Burdine had a breakout performance with a career high 16 points.
3. Rahk Brookins had a career high nine (9) assists against just 2 turnovers.
4. Saints were a perfect 13-13 from the charity stripe in the 2nd half and overtime.
5. Saints are 0-2 against the America East this season, they entered the season with a 109-47 record against teams from the America East.

Five Questions:
1. Who is going to step up to fill the role behind Clarence Jackson?
2. When will Siena win a home game?
3. Who if anyone can stop Ryan Rossiter?
4. Is Owen Wignot going to be back for the Fairfield game?
5. What happened to Kyle Griffin (did not dress for the game)?

Five Words:
Burdine bursts onto the scene.

Let’s take a look back at some of the best moments of the Albany Cup…

Siena mascot ‘Bernie’ jams with a band before Siena-UAlbany in 2006

#1 Siena 76, Albany 75 (2OT) December 2 2006

Kenny Hasbrouck’s basket with 1:11 left in the second overtime gave the Saints the lead and helped them stave off a victory over Albany 76-75. Hasbrouck fought illness to play the game and Fran McCaffery got an unexpected boost from Hasbrouck’s performance.

“Kenny’s performance was very courageous,” McCaffery said. “We didn’t expect to have him a few hours before the game. He missed the walk-through and was nauseous all day.”

Freshman Edwin Ubiles delivered a key three pointer late along with a David Ryan free throw to tie the game in regulation and send it to overtime. Ubiles scored a then career-high 20 points. Ubiles played in 45 of the games’ 50 minutes.

Lack of Big Three: For all of you who were wondering how the big three (Ubiles-Moore-Franklin) did in their first Albany Cup game… Moore started, scored 8 points and dished out 4 assists along with 2 turnovers. Alex Franklin came off the bench to score 4 points and fouled out, playing just 19 minutes.

Memorable Moment: Lead changed 16 times in see-saw battle.

#2 Siena 82, Albany 74 (OT) December 3 2005

Fran McCaffery’s first win in the Albany Cup came in overtime, and it came in the (then named) Pepsi Arena. After squandering a lead that got as large as 18-points, Siena went on a 10-0 run to start overtime to take the Albany Cup back from the Great Danes. The Saints were led by Antoine Jordan’s 24 points, who posted his second straight double-double of the season. Kojo Mensah posted a triple-double, scoring 20 points, grabbing 14 rebounds and 11 assists which included the dishing out the game-tying three pointer by Tay Fisher. Mensah’s triple-double was the first triple-double since Marc Brown did it on November 25, 1990. Free throws weren’t a woe then for the Saints, they made 10 out of 11 freebies in overtime to seal up the cup. The win put the Saints over .500 for the first time since December 2003.

Memorable Moment: Kojo Mensah triple double first since Marc Brown in 1990 (20pts., 14rebs., 11assists)

#3 Siena 75, Albany 71 December 1 2007

The, then, second largest crowd home crowd for a Siena men’s regular season game watched Alex Franklin break out with 24 points and  10 rebounds (his fourth straight double-double) as the Saints beat Albany by four. McCaffery said Franklin looked like a pro against the Danes.

“He played like a pro,” McCaffery said. “He was the best player on the court tonight. By far.”

The Saints went up by as much as 18 in the first 12 minutes of the game and led by 10 at the half but watched as Albany put together a 16-0 run to cut the lead to four late. Franklin’s free throws with six seconds left sealed the Siena win.

Freshman Play: Clarence Jackson and Ryan Rossiter appeared in this game for the Saints, each playing three minutes and scoring 0 points, respectively. Rossiter picked up a defensive rebound and a steal in the game.

Big Three: Ubiles scored 10 points, picked up 4 steals and 5 rebounds. Moore scored 14 points and dished out 5 assists. Franklin scored a game-high 24 points.

Memorable Moment: 2nd Largest crowd in a regular season Siena home game.

We need a new name for this thing, leave your ideas in the comments…

2006-2007 Season

Siena beats UAlbany in double overtime 76-75. Ubiles scores 20 points after hitting 4 from beyond the 3-point arc.

In a normal February game against Manhattan, Ronald Moore has his first double digit asst game with 10 dimes. This would be the first of many. Recap »

After losing two very close games to Marist earlier in the year, the Saints beat the #1 ranked Red Foxes in a semifinal classic and head to the title game for the first time since 2004. Recap »

Alex Franklin ends his freshman year with a bang by scoring 27 points on 10 out of 12 shooting in Siena’s 83-79 MAAC championship loss to Niagara. Recap »

2007-2008 Season

Siena defeats 20th ranked Stanford 79-67 at the Times Union Center. Franklin scores 14 points and Ubiles adds 11. Students and fans stormed the court after the win. Recap »

Josh Duell came up big on the road in Lawrenceville, NJ, hitting a three with 1.3 seconds remaining and capping an 11-2 run in the final 1:58 against the fiesty Broncs. Recap »

In the BracketBuster game the Saints went to Boise State to play the 20-win Broncos and crushed them 93-70. Franklin had a monster game with 30 points and 18 rebounds. Ubiles had 22 points and Moore had 9 assists. Recap »

Siena trounces Rider in the MAAC championship game 74-53. In a game known primarily for Tay Fisher’s six 3’s off the bench, Ubiles added 15 points and Franklin with 10 points. Recap »

For the program’s first NCCA tournament win since 1989, Siena upsets #4 seeded Vanderbilt 83-62. Ubiles scores 11, Franklin 10, and Moore has 6 assists for Siena. Recap »

2008-2009 Season

Siena plays their toughest schedule in school history. #12 Tennessee, Oklahoma State, #3 Pitt, and a Kansas team one year removed from a national title.

After going through the season not being able to beat any significant non conference teams, Siena defeats Northern Iowa 81-75 in their BracketBuster match up. In a balanced scoring game Ubiles scores 10 points, Franklin 9 points, and Moore 8 points. Even a kid made a $25,000 shot. Recap »

Siena gets revenge on Niagara from two years before by beating them in the MAAC championship game 77-70. Franklin puts up 16 points, Ubiles contributes 9 points, while Moore has 7 assists. Recap »

After getting bumped up to a #9 seed, the Saints beat Ohio State 74-72 in double overtime. Ubiles has 20 points and Franklin has a double-double performance with 10 points 13 rebounds. Moore has 11 points with his 7 assists, along with two of the most well-known shots in Siena history that extends the game into the 2nd OT where he then won it. The greatest game in Siena history Recap »

Siena took Rick Pitino and the #1 seeded Louisville to the brink, but lose a close game 79-72. All three players played well with Ubiles scoring 24 points, Franklin 19 points, and Moore with 10 assists. Recap »

2009-2010 Season

After opening up the season with a win against Tennessee State, Siena gets another victory over a solid Northeastern team 59-53. Ubiles scores nearly half the team’s points with 26. Franklin finishes with 9 points and Moore adds 5 assists in this low scoring game. Recap »

The Big Three end their career vs UAlbany with a nearly 30 point victory, 83-54. Ubiles doesn’t play much due to injuries but Franklin has 14 points while Moore puts up a double-double with 13 points 11 assists. Recap »

The seniors’ last victory together made them MAAC champions in a 72-65 defeat of Fairfield. Ubiles leads all scorers with 27 points. Franklin adds a double-double of 22 points and 12 boards. Moore contributes 9 points and 6 assists. Recap »

An end of an era came in the team’s opening round 72-64 loss to Purdue. Franklin scores 10 points and grabs 14 rebounds. Ubiles leads the team with 18 points, and Moore scores 14 points. Recap »