Dec. 29, 2002

Box Score

Tommy Mitchell led four Saints in double figures with 17 and freshman Antoine Jordan came off the bench to score a career-high 15 points to lead Siena (6-3) to a 79-71 win over Loyola Marymount (5-7) in the first round of the Big R Holiday Stores Classic in Bozeman Montana. The Saints advance to play in tomorrow's championship game which will tip at 10 p.m. EST.

Siena used an 11-0 run to help build a 35-24 halftime lead. After Sherman Gay's dunk gave LMU a 14-12 lead near the midway point of the first half, Siena scored the next 11 unanswered, capped by an Andrews trey, to go ahead 23-14. The Saints would never trail again

Paul Williams extended the Saints advantage to 35-21 -- Siena's biggest lead of the first half -- on a rebound and putback with less than two minutes left in the half. But Charles Brown, who was one of five Loyola starters in double-figures, knocked down his second 3-pointer of the half to make it 35-24.

Both teams had trouble getting points early on but neither had any problems racking up fouls. A Mitchell foul put Loyola in the bonus with 11:33 left until halftime and the Saints were shooting 1-and-1 with 7:58 left. But Siena made its free throws count, hitting 6-of-7 in the first half while the Lions made just 5-of-9.

The Lions closed Siena's halftime advantage to as few as three mid-way through the decisive period, but Siena always had an answer. Jordan, who played his best game as a Saint added a major spark and converted a base-line jam late in the game to shift the momentum back in Siena's favor.

Junior sniper Austin Andrews continued his torrid outside shooting, converting 3-of his-4 attempts from three-point range. Andrews, who finished with 13 points, entered the game ranked in the top-10 nationally in three-point percentage.

The fouls continued to pile up in the second half, creating an unsettling environment for both teams all evening. In total, an eye-popping 55 infractions were called, and the Saints had five players finish with four fouls or more.

The Saints shot a season-high 54.5% from the floor and limited Loyola to just 36.2% from the field. Prosper Karangwa rounded out the Siena quartet in double digits with 16 for the victors.

"We did what we needed to tonight to get the job done," a tempered Rob Lanier said following the Saints sixth win of the season. "This win gives us a chance to do what we set out to do--compete for the championship. An event like this is paramount in terms of experience for our team, as it simulates the environment we will later face in the MAAC Tournament. The win is nice, but we need to forget about it for now and get back to business right away, as a stiffer challenge awaits tomorrow."