Dec. 29, 2009
Final Stats
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Edwin Ubiles scored 20 of his 22 points after intermission and Alex Franklin and Clarence Jackson each posted 20-plus point performances for the second straight game as the Saints broke open a close battle to thwart Saint Joseph's 92-75 Tuesday night at Times Union Center. Franklin scored a season-high 25 and Jackson added 23 as Siena pulled away with a decisive 21-3 second half run.
Siena won its 26th straight home game, equaling the longest such streak on record. Following a tightly contested first half that featured seven ties and 14 lead changes, the Saints (8-4) harbored a narrow 43-42 advantage. Saint Joseph's (4-7) held a 39-34 lead with 2:07 remaining, but Franklin and Jackson combined for seven points during a 9-3 run to close out the half and give Siena the advantage.
Holding a modest 71-65 lead with 9:50 remaining, Ubiles and the Saints took over during a game-deciding 21-3 run over the next seven minutes. Ubiles, who only played seven minutes in the first half, tallied 11 points during the run including the final seven.
Siena, which defeated Saint Joseph's for the second straight season, out-rebounded the Hawks 40-29 including 18 on the offensive end. Ryan Rossiter led the way with a season-high tying 14 caroms, while Franklin added 12 boards for his second straight 20+ point 10+ rebound effort.
For the second straight game, Siena completely shut down the opposing teams' leading scorer. Darrin Govens, who entered the game averaging 13.4 points, was limited to just five points on 2-for-7 shooting.
Idris Hilliard led the Hawks with 14 points on 6-for-7 from the field but Saint Joseph's lost for the seventh time in its past eight games after a 3-0 start. The lone bright spot for the Hawks was the bench, which outscored Siena 35-13 and was led by a career-high 13 points from Bryant Irwin.
Key free throw shooting propelled the Saints as well. Entering the game shooting just 62.5% for the season, the team sank 23 of 30 (76.7%) in outscoring the Hawks by 16 at the charity stripe. Additionally, Ronald Moore added to his nation-leading assist total with 12 more dimes reaching double figures for the fifth time this season.
The Saints return to action when they close out 2009 on New Year's Eve as they host Saint Peter's. Game time is set for 4 p.m.
