For the second time in three nights, the Siena men’s basketball team dug itself an early hole, fought gamely to get back in the game, and ran out of gas down the stretch. The result was a 66-59 conference loss to Loyola University Maryland, and the program’s first five-game losing streak in six years.

The Greyhounds (6-1/2-0) are off to their best start as a Division I program. Siena (2-5/0-2) has to regroup quickly as cross-town rival UAlbany comes calling Monday night.

“If you look at (four of) our five losses, they’re exactly the same,” head coach Mitch Buonaguro said. “We make a great run in the second half, and then we can’t get over the hump. I thought the three turnovers late killed us tonight.”

Buonaguro was referring to three instances in which the Saints turned the ball over on inbounds plays, after pulling within striking distance. They were three of a season-high 20 turnovers for the Saints. Loyola played a big part in the miscues, amassing an eye-popping 19 steals.

OD Anosike scored for Siena on the game’s first possession, and then the Greyhounds went on a 16-2 run and never trailed again. Siena fell behind 15-1 in Thursday’s loss at Saint Peter’s, but as with that loss, they made things interesting late.

Evan Hymes scored 18 of his 21 points in the second half, and the Saints shot 57% from the field after intermission. They cut Loyola’s big lead to six four times in the second half, and had several chances to get even closer.

Dylan Cormier led four Greyhounds with a career-high 22 points, making 5-6 3-pointers. Loyola shot 8-19 (42%) from distance, but just 15-42 (36%) from inside the arc.

Siena scored 40 points in the second half, and had its best showing of the season from 3-point range (6-11, 57%) and the free throw line (11-13, 85%).

Anosike registered his third straight double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds. He has averaged 15.3 points, 10.8 rebounds and shot 55% from the field over the last four games.

Siena won’t play another league game until January 3, when they play preseason favorite Iona at Madison Square Garden.

From the Associated Press

Siena could have senior Owen Wignot back in the lineup. Wignot, injured his head in the first game of the season against Navy, but practiced on Friday in hopes of returning Saturday night.

The Saints struggled on offense in their first MAAC game in Jersey City, falling 51-44 to St. Peter’s thursday night. Siena trailed 15-1 early, went on a 16-0 run but could not beat the Peacocks scoring 44 points on 54 possessions.

They will face the Loyola Greyhounds who beat Marist in their MAAC opener Thursday 76-63 at home. The Greyhounds are off to their best start since 1981-82 at 5-1. Sophomore Dylon Cormier leads the team this season with 16.3 points per game and has scored double-digit points in every single game this season. Junior Erik Etherly has recorded three double-doubles this season and averages 15.5 points per game.

Loyola split the season-series with Siena last year. The Saints will be trying to prevent an 0-2 start in the MAAC, the last time Siena started 0-2 in the MAAC was during the 2003-04 season.

SienaSaintsBlog: Dylon Cormier currently leads the team with 16.3 PPG, how much better does he look?

Patrick Stevens / Washington Times: Quite a bit better than a year ago. The sophomore guard knows what coach Jimmy Patsos wants, and he also doesn’t have to think about every last detail of what he needs to do on the floor. He’s choosing his shots better, and he remains a capable rebounder for a 6’2″ guy.

I’m not sure there was a time in Thursday’s victory over Marist where it felt like Cormier was dominant. But he was always relevant when he was on the floor, doing something at one end or the other to influence the course of the game. That’s the sort of guy whose total value can add up in a hurry.

SSB: What are the Greyhounds biggest strengths and weaknesses that you saw?

Patrick Stevens: The thing I liked the most was Loyola’s offensive rebounding. When you snag 56.8 percent of your own misses, 25 offensive boards compared to Marist’s 19 defensive boards, the team is both collecting second chances and maximizing opportunities. Loyola hasn’t been quite that good in that area all season, but a 45.3 offensive rebounding percentage is still exceptional. There are tougher tests ahead than the likes of UMBC and Coppin State and New Hampshire, but Loyola’s penchant for extending possessions has lead to many more second-chance points than its opponents in every game so far.

Nonetheless, turnovers are going to be an issue against better competition. Marist managed only nine points off Loyola’s 18 miscues, which is the sort of inefficiency you’d expect from a team picked to finish last in the conference. Better opposition is going to punish the Greyhounds if they maintain their high rate of 16 turnovers per game.

SSB: Last time these two teams played, Erik Etherly gave Siena a fit, scoring 15 points and leading Loyola to a 76-69 win at Siena last February 7th. How has Erik’s game improved this season?

Patrick Stevens: Etherly was a solid rebounder last year, but it just seemed like he was everywhere in the first half on Thursday. Had eight rebounds in 12 minutes before foul trouble sent him to the bench for a while.

As a scorer, he’s better because Cormier is better and because Justin Drummond’s a year older and more accustomed to the college level. The personnel of this team is mostly the same in the backcourt, the differences being that Brian Rudolph is gone, and freshman R.J. Williams has started the last three games. However, this group is much more capable of working it inside whenever the Greyhounds get into a halfcourt game.

SSB: Looking at the Assist to Turnover rate (74 A: 96 TO) looks like a big issue – how much did that let Marist back into the game last night?

Patrick Stevens: In short, Loyola saw a press and didn’t really know what to do with it. The old saying “press a pressing team” doesn’t hold true nearly as often as coaches believe it does; sometimes when you press a pressing team, they simply throw a long outlet to a faster wing player for an easy layup. But it certainly was valid Thursday in the Loyola-Marist game.

Without the turnovers, Loyola probably puts the game away a lot earlier than the final five minutes.

SSB: How deep are the Greyhounds and will Loyola be able to capitalize on Siena’s lack of depth?

Patrick Stevens: It’s easy to think of Loyola as having a revolving door of substitutions given Patsos’ preferred style, but the Greyhounds used a mostly eight-man rotation against Marist. Julius Brooks got a four-minute nod in the first half because of foul trouble, and Pierson Williams made a cameo in the last minute with Loyola in control.

The question might not be depth so much as it is pace. The game against Marist was a 66 possession-per-team game that seemed more frenetic because of the Red Foxes’ pressure and Loyola’s tendancy to either (a) commit a turnover, (b) miss an open shot, or (c) have a decent look rim out after breaking the press. With reduced personnel options, Siena probably doesn’t take the same approach that Marist did last night.

Loyola could easily look to run to wear down the Saints a bit.

* – Mass Mutal Center
** – MSG

Siena lost by 17 to Fairfield earlier in December at the Times Union Center.

Recap: Fairfield 72, Siena 55

For more info on tonight’s game, check out the previous Siena vs. Loyola matchup from January 28th…

Recap: Siena 76, Loyola 59 | Preview

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.

The coaching move of the evening was Mitch having Clarence Jackson come off the bench as the proverbial sixth man.  It paid off in a huge way as Jackson was hot from the outside hitting 5-7 from three and leading the Saints with a game high 19 points.  

I actually discussed the likelihood of this move with a fellow fan prior to tip, and we thought it would be a great move as CJ has always relished that role, but both shrugged it off like it would never happen.   After the final whistle we were both thinking what a great move in a game that clearly needed some kind of spark.

We can only hope that leaving Clarence Jackson as the sixth man and first off the bench is the anecdote for success for this group of Saints.   It has been clear that something has to start clicking in this roller coaster of a season.   The team has a great chance to re-establish themselves in the MAAC with a revenge win against Canisius on Monday.

Room for Improvement:
Consistency. This team continues to ride different waves of highs and lows.   One night they are able to shoot 94% from the charity stripe and the next they are shooting 54.5%.   One night they are turning the ball over 14 times and 7 the next.  One night they are on fire from beyond the arc and the next night they are shooting bricks.

Keys to Success:
Defense. The proverbial experts always say that defense breeds champions and if that is the case then this team has hope.  They have really come into their own with the 2-3 zone. In their 6 wins they are holding opponents to just 63 points per game.
Guard play. The combination of Brookins and Breeden has been a fun development to watch.  They both continue to provide positive highlights and continue to limit their amount of mistakes each and every game.   In tight games having the luxury for both to be on the floor is something that will reduce the blood pressure of Coach Buonaguro.

Five Facts:
1.  O.D. Anosike made more free throws and at a higher percentage than Ryan Rossiter.
2.  Siena made half as many 3’s as they did free throws (6 and 12).
3.  Saints are now off the snide against teams with an RPI over 200 (1-3).
4. Siena has limited opponents to 63 points per game in their 6 wins and have allowed 74 points in their 10 losses.
5.  Clarence Jackson tied a season high with 5 baskets beyond the arc.

Five Questions:
1.  Will Davis Martens and/or Kyle Griffin be available for Monday?
2.  Will Clarence Jackson remain as the sixth man this year?
3.  When was the last time Ryan Rossiter shot 20% from the free throw line in a game?
4.  How many MAAC wins will Siena have this year?
5.  Will Siena get back to .500 at home on Monday (currently 3-4 @ home, 3 game win streak)?

Five Words:
Welcome back to Clarence Jackson.

Manhattan was lead by the conference’s leading scorer Rico Pickett who put up a dominating 33 points. Darryl Crawford contributed a double-double performance with 16 points and 10 rebounds. A huge factor in this game was Manhattan’s impressive free throw numbers, going 38-46 (82.6%).

Loyola ends their season despite shooting 50% from the field. Shane Walker led the Greyhounds with 26 points. Jamal Barney also had 13 points.