Nov. 13, 2010

Final Stats

ALBANY, N.Y. - A valiant rally Saturday night fell just short, and Siena men's basketball suffered its first home loss in 39 games at the Times Union Center, falling 80-76 to Vermont. The Catamounts led by as many as 15 in the later stages, but the Saints never quit, cutting the deficit to two before two late free throws from Vermont's Joey Accaoui iced it.

With 7:30 to go, the Saints (0-1) trailed 62-47. However, head coach Mitch Buonaguro, serving as the head coach of a Division I program for the first time since 1991, stuck to his guns, and trusted his leaders.

"I wanted to put guys on the floor who could help us win," Buonaguro said.

This involved putting freshman point guard Rakeem Brookins into a trial-by-fire situation. Brookins thrived under the pressure, helping Siena's offense get back on track with eight points, three assists, and three steals. The Saints also had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio, with ten and nine, respectively.

"I thought (Rakeem) played well," said Buonaguro. "He got the team going, and I think he was a real plus tonight."

Siena was paced by MAAC Preseason Player of the Year Ryan Rossiter. The senior put up 27 points, ten rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. Perhaps most notably, he went a perfect 11-for-11 from the charity stripe (as a team, the Saints shot 23-of-29 from the line, a 79.3% clip). Fellow senior Clarence Jackson tallied 14 points and five steals, and sophomore OD Anosike added 11 points and five rebounds.

Accaoui helped lead Vermont (1-0) with 19 points off the bench. Forward Evan Fjeld also tallied 19 points, and had eight rebounds before fouling out after 28 minutes. Vermont's bench was invaluable to the win, as it outscored Siena's reserves 45-16.

The Saints will look for their first win of 2010-2011 again Monday night, when they travel to Minnesota.