Dec. 13, 2010
Box Score
Siena retired the jersey of all-time leading scorer Marc "Showbiz" Brown, and then the Saints retired their three-game losing streak. Bouncing back from their worst home loss in nearly six years, the Saints turned in an inspired effort Monday night, and dispatched red-hot Florida Atlantic 72-69 at Times Union Center.
"This is a great win," head coach Mitch Buonaguro said after the game. "This is not a good win, this is a great win in my opinion."
Siena turned to seniors Ryan Rossiter and Clarence Jackson, and the two responded with 47 points and 21 rebounds. As a result, Siena led for the final 38 minutes and 54 seconds, but it wasn't clear sailing to the finish.
The Saints saw their 15 point lead with 5:53 remaining trimmed to a single basket, 69-67, with 51 seconds to play, but sophomore Jonathan Breeden made three of four free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
Alex Tucker's desperation three clanked off the backboard and rim as time expired.
"I do think the kids really came out tonight and played like the Siena teams of old, against a good team," Buonaguro said.
Buonaguro was referring to the wildly successful Siena teams he mentored as lead assistant the last five years, but the reference to the program's history was especially appropriate on this night. With Showbiz looking on, the Saints played their best home game of the season, and avoided their first four-game slide since 2004-05.
Rossiter rebounded from a sub-par effort against Fairfield three days ago with a colossal performance. He ended with 27 points and 13 boards, willing his team to victory.
"I thought Ryan Rossiter tonight played like an All-American against good inside players," Buonaguro said. "He was going against a real good player (Brett Royster who blocked seven shots) and dominated.
Siena got eight points off the bench from Kyle Downey and seven from starter OD Anosike. Freshman point guard Rakeem Brookins ran an offense that turned the ball over just 10 times, making quality decisions all night. It was the first time the Saints had more assists than turnovers (11 assists, 10 turnovers) since the season opener. They also won for the 49th straight time when holding their opponent to fewer than 70 points.
"I thought our offense was really good for most of the game," Buonaguro said.
Five players scored eight points or more for Florida Atlantic which saw its three-game win streak, that included wins over two BCS schools, snapped.
Siena has an eight-day break for final exams before concluding this season-long four-game homestand against former coach Paul Hewitt and his Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Wednesday night. It wasn't easy, but they passed their first test tonight.
