Feb. 5, 2010
Final Stats
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Alex Franklin scored 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds to help Siena push the nation's longest win streak to 14 games and the second longest home court win streak to 33 games with an easy 88-68 dismantling of Iona Friday night at soldout Times Union Center in Albany. At 13-0 in MAAC play, the Saints are off to the best conference start in 20 years.
It also marks the first time in program history the Saints (20-4) have strung together four 20-win campaigns.
The Gaels entered the game all alone in second place in the MAAC, but the gap between number one and two never looked bigger than it did tonight.
The Saints made 9-17 3-pointers, including six from junior wing Clarence Jackson who missed his first three before making six of his last seven. Iona, meanwhile, struggled from the perimeter, finishing just 4-18 from distance.
Siena's starting five combined for 83 of the team's 88 points and all five had monster games. Jackson joined Franklin with a 20-point performance, Ryan Rossiter had his eighth double-double in nine games finishing with 19 points and 12 rebounds, Edwin Ubiles ended with a cool 11 points and team-high five assists and Ronald Moore scored nine points, including the benchmark 1,000th of his career early in the second half.
Moore became the 35th Saint to score 1,000 points and it marks the second straight season three 1,000 point scorers have shared the floor at the same time for Siena.
Iona scored the first basket of the game and never led again. Siena's lead reached double-digits for the first time when Jackson hit a 3-pointer at the 3:38 mark of the first half. The lead remained 10 at halftime, 38-28, but Siena pushed it to 19, 55-36 by the first media timeout of the final stanza.
Iona got no closer than 16 the rest of the way. The highlight of the game came when Jackson hit a long three following a gritty possession to make it 69-47 with 9:32 to go. The sellout crowd of 8,065 soared to its feet in appreciation.
Scott Machado led all players with 24 points for Iona (17-7/9-4) which saw its eight-game win streak snapped. Alejo Rodriguez ended with 16 points and 15 rebounds.
It marked the sixth straight game Siena has held its opponent under 70 points and the Saints have now won 39 straight games when doing so.
Remarkably , Siena can wrap up a share of the MAAC regular-season title and the #1 seed in next month's MAAC Championships, as soon as Monday when it hosts Fairfield here at 7 p.m.
