At one point in the first half, Siena went on a 32-11 run, which put them in a comfortable lead for the remainder of the game. Alex Franklin and Clarence Jackson both scored over 20 points and each player had stretches of hot shooting. Ronald Moore proved his ankle injury wouldn’t hinder his aggressiveness by posting a double-double with 19 points and 11 assists. A huge factor in this game was the contributions that came from the Siena bench. After the majority of the minutes in yesterday’s game went to the starters, Fran McCaffery needed to rely on his bench to perform and they responded with a great effort. Kyle Downey finished with eleven points, while Owen Wignot and O.D. Anosike were also solid coming off the bench. While not all the players were able to get as many minutes as in the Delaware game, the substitutes that did play held their own and allowed the starters to get some much needed rest.

Matt Mullery lead the Bear’s in scoring with 23 points, and was perhaps the most well-rounded power forward the Saints have faced thus far this season. Freshman Andrew McCarthy also played impressive basketball with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Although Brown did outrebound Siena, they were plagued by their 17 turnovers and the fact that they did not have a steal or a blocked shot until late in the game.

Obviously this was a great team win for the Saints. Edwin Ubiles had a poor shooting night and Ryan Rossiter sustained a minor foot injury, but the rest of the team stepped up in terrific fashion. If the bench can provide similar points and minutes throughout the year it would be a huge advantage for the Saints as they enter into the later parts of the season.

The Saints are coming off a nine point loss to St. John’s University. Although they jumped out to a halftime lead, the players appeared to struggle against St. John’s half court zone defense and weren’t able to consistently make 3-pointers. Moore briefly left the game with an ankle injury, which hopefully won’t have lingering affects. Rossiter continued his offensive presence with another 20+ scoring effort. Siena will need to combat their fatigue, as this will be the team’s first time playing on consecutive days this season.

The Bears are lead by junior forward Matt Mullery who is averaging nearly 16 ppg. He has been supported by the Sullivan brothers, Peter and Matt, who are second and third on the team in scoring. Brown has seemed to be a very streaky team first losing three in a row, before going on a three game winning steak. They have one thing in common with the Saints; a loss to St. John’s (79-76).

The Delaware game proved Siena is able to bounce back strong after a loss. Brown doesn’t have the players of a St. John’s or a Temple, but are capable of hanging around with more talented teams. If Moore’s injury isn’t anything significant and the team is able to rediscover its shooting groove the Saints should be successful.