The Saints have yet to win a conference road game this season. At 5-9, Niagara and Siena are now tied for 6th in the MAAC with 4 games to play. The Purple Eagles finish the season with Rider, Canisius at home and at St. Peter’s and Marist, while Siena will finish with Manhattan at home, Marist away and two games against Canisius. As usual, the 6th seeded team will have the first night off in the MAAC Tournament.

Freshman Ameen Tanksley erupted for a career high 24 points and Juan’ya Green added 16 points and 6 rebounds.

OD Anosike fouled out of the game just a shade before the 4 minute mark, and finished the night with 9 points and 8 rebounds. Owen Wignot looked strong with a clutch 3 late in the game, and finished with 11 points and added 9 boards.

* – Mass Mutal Center
** – MSG

The Jekyl and Hyde show continues for this group as they dropped their 3rd game to a team with an RPI over 200 this season.  This team has been so unpredictable, right when they start looking like they are gelling and coming into their own, all of a sudden the wheels start to fall off the wagon.

I have been harping on ‘play down the stretch’ as being an achilles heal all season and stats do not lie:

• Siena has a -14 assist to turnover ratio in the last five minutes of games.
• Have been outscored 189-168 in the last five minutes.
• Made 7-25 (20%) from 3.

Fortunately they are only 5 games into the 18 game MAAC slate and there is plenty of time to right the ship. Hopefully this experience out in Buffalo is the proverbial wake-up call, because if not there will be plenty of time for napping come March.

Room for Improvement:

Back to Basics. The Saints lost their identity out in Buffalo.   They have won all five games this year with hustle, effort, and resiliency.   Key on making free throws, taking care of the ball, and rebounding.
Balanced Offense. It is clear that the Saints strength this year is their size and post play down low, but if you go to the well time and again it will run dry.   It happened this weekend, and if the Saints don’t find another consistent offensive threat, “well” it’s going to be a long winter.

Keys to Success:

The “Other” Post Man. O.D. Anosike came out of his shell and really stepped up this weekend. Showing what he can do if he stays out of foul trouble.   He posted his 2nd straight and 2nd career double-double with a career high 15pts. and 10 rebounds to boot.   If he is able to build off these back to back great efforts, it will be a sured bonus as the season unfolds.
Defense. The defense continues to shine.   Forcing 19 turnovers with 11 steals while holding yet another opponent to below 40% shooting.

Five Facts:

1.  After winning 52 straight when holding opponents under 70, the Saints are 1-2, make that 1-3.

2.  Siena has not won a game this season (0-9) when they ink a lesser free throw percentage, make that (0-10).

3.  Niagara’s RPI is 272.

4.  Siena’s record in Western New York is 9-11 since 2001-2002 season.

5.  The Saints are 0-3 against teams with an RPI over 200.

Five Questions:

1. What is going on with the rash of injuries this team has suffered?

2.  Did this team lose its legs from too many minutes Friday night or is it just me?

3.  What happened to the foul shooting this weekend?

4.  Will Siena win 15 games this year? (the magic number for a .500 win %)

5.  What happened out in Buffalo?

Five Words:

Say Goodbye to MAAC Title.

LEWISTON, N.Y. — Anthony Nelson had 30 points, 10 rebounds and eight steals as Niagara ended a six-game losing streak by defeating Siena 69-55 on Sunday.

Nelson broke the game open by making five consecutive 3-pointers in the second half, which began with Niagara (4-13, 1-4 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) clinging to a 23-21 lead. The Purple Eagles were ahead by three when Nelson doubled the lead with his first trey. By the time he’d hit his fifth in a row, he was the main reason why the lead had grown to 11.

Siena (5-10, 2-3), which lost its fifth straight road game, was befuddled by the Niagara trapping zone defense. The Saints shot only 32.8 percent from the field (19 of 58) and only 2 of 15 from 3-point range. Kashief Edwards added 13 points for Niagara.

Ryan Rossiter led Siena with 20 points and eight rebounds. O.D. Anosike had 15 points and 10 rebounds.

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 »

Franklin is by far the most fouled person on the team with 225 attempts so far this season, which is already a career high for the senior. His 66.2% from the line is the best free throw numbers he’s put up since his freshman year. However, it’s his stellar performance during the MAAC tournament (when it really matters) that demonstrates how much emphasis Franklin is placing on connecting from the line.

Against Manhattan he went a solid 9-14 (64.2%), but went an amazing 12-13 (92.3%) in the semifinal game against Rider. These percentages are massively higher than his shooting from last year’s tournament when the largest number of free throws he made in a game was 2 against Niagara.

With Siena struggling out of the gate in both of their recent games, it has been Franklin and his free throws that have kept the team within striking distance. His 7 first half points from line against Manhattan helped contain the Jaspers early momentum.

With the number of times Franklin normally goes to the foul line, combined with his much improved shooting makes Franklin a more dangerous threat. His aggressive offensive style not only gets opponents into foul trouble, but now consistently results in points. If he is able to continue this trend, it will be very difficult for anyone to beat the Saints tomorrow in the championship game.

Clarence Jackson, who shot just 2-15 in the Quarterfinal game, came alive in the second half with a three pointer at 15:59 to give Siena a one point lead. Jackson then made another three pointer with 11:16 to go to give the Saints another one point lead. Jackson scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half on 6-9 shooting.

Ryan Rossiter converted a basket in transition, grabbed a rebound and scored a two with 9:21 to give the Saints a 53-48 lead. Rossiter focused on defense against the Broncs, pulling down 18 of the team’s 39 rebounds. He asserted his defensive presence early and often, not allowing any Bronc to drive to the basket with ease.

The MAAC Preseason Player of the Year Player Ryan Thompson and Player of the Year Alex Franklin, carried their teams early. Senior Ryan Thompson scored Rider’s first 12 points. Franklin and Moore combined to score 11 of the first 13 Siena points. Moore found his shooting stroke, scoring 15 points on 5-10 shooting and recorded 10 assists.

Thompson struggled to score in the second half, scoring just 6 points on 3-6 shooting. The Preseason MAAC Player of the Year exited to a standing ovation in the second half, finishing up with 21 points to lead the Broncs. Mike Ringgold scored 20 points and grabbed a team-high 14 rebounds.

Siena did not trail at halftime in consecutive home games this season, yet has won both games in this weekend’s MAAC Tournament by double digits.

Siena will face the winner of Niagara vs. Fairfield at 7PM tomorrow night on ESPN2.

• Saints rebound from ugly loss, beat Canisius
  

  Ryan Rossiter said a Canisius fan at the Koes­sler Center was on Rossiter’s case all afternoonon on Sunday, at one point telling Siena’s junior center that he’d “never be in Vogue” magazine.
  Maybe not, but perhaps Rossiter could make the cover of “Seventeen,” because that’s how many rebounds he had against Canisius, one short of a career high as the Saints rebounded from their first loss in two months by beating Canisius, 74-57.

• Saints bounce back to beat Griffs
• Siena rebounds, routs Canisius

Canisius is led by G Frank Turner who is 2nd in the MAAC in scoring with 16.9 ppg. Turner is also among the top three in the conference for assists, averaging over 5 per game. His counterpart, G Julius Coles also contributes on the offensive end with 15 ppg.

Since the Golden Griffins last played Siena back on January 11th, they have gone 4-5. During that stretch Canisius went into overtime 3 times beating Manhattan and Niagara and falling to St. Peter’s College. Their record places them in the middle of the MAAC standings along with Rider and Niagara. They have been given James Madison University for their BracketBusters opponent.

As a team Canisius is 2nd in the MAAC in rebounding with 38.8 per game. However, they average more than 10 points less per game compared to Siena, and they are last in the league in 3-point shooting percentage (30.1%). This will be a big mental test to see if Siena can leave their loss to Niagara in the past and not fall victim to what would be their first back-to-back loss of the season.

Siena’s loss snaps a 15 game win streak and gives the Saints their first loss of 2010, their last loss was December 12, 2009 at Northern Iowa. This year, four of the Saints’ five losses have been by nine points or more.

Led by Tyrone Lewis’ game high 24 points on 7-13 shooting, the Purple Eagles went on a 15-1 run the second half to put the game out of reach for the Saints. Kashief Edwards turned in a career high 20 points on 9-14 shooting.

Ryan Rossiter led the Saints with 23 points, on 8-16 shooting, and 12 rebounds. Edwin Ubiles was held to just 12 points on 6-15 shooting as Siena struggled against the home court advantage of the Purple Eagles.

Alex Franklin was held to just one second half point and went 2-8 from the field, scoring just 9 points.

Siena struggled to find the outside shot as Kyle Griffin and Clarence Jackson combined to go 2-10 from three point range.

O.D. Anosike ended up one off his season-high with 6 points off the bench for the Saints.