March 19, 2010
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SPOKANE, Wash. - The best class in Siena basketball history saw their careers come to an end today as #4 Purdue defeated the 13th seeded Saints 72-64 in a South Region First Round matchup here at Spokane Arena before a crowd of 10,895. Siena, which matched a program record for wins, finishes an outstanding 2009-10 season at 27-7.
After a slow start by both teams, Purdue (28-5) opened a modest five point lead at 15-10 following a Chris Kramer layup at the 11:32 mark. But the Saints finally caught fire, scoring the game's next eight points and following a Kyle Downey three took a 32-29 lead into intermission. Downey, who replaced the injured Clarence Jackson in the starting lineup, finished with six points.
Siena's lead would be short-lived as the Boilermakers took control right away to start the second half. Purdue scored the first 13 points of the stanza and ran its decisive run to 20-3 over the first six plus minutes to build an insurmountable 49-35 lead at the 13:55 mark.
But the resilient Saints battled back throughout the closing minutes and nearly pulled off an unthinkable comeback. Down 15 (66-51) with 5:47 remaining, Siena responded with a 12-0 run over the next 4:42 capped by a Ryan Rossiter driving lay-in to make it a one possession game at 66-63 with 1:05 left. Senior Edwin Ubiles was crucial during the run, scoring eight of the Saints' 12 points.
But Siena's offense ran out of gas in the final minute as the Saints missed their final five shots. Purdue shot 53.6% in the decisive second half, while the Saints were limited to just 27.8% for the stanza.
Ubiles led four Saints in double figures with 18 points and finishes his brilliant career with 1,939 career points - good for third best in program history. Classmate Ronald Moore added 14 points and dished out five assists, completing his career with 823 career helpers, good for 23rd best in Division I history.
Alex Franklin, who also played in his final game, had a huge first half with 10 points and eight rebounds, but was held scoreless while taking just two second half shots. Rossiter played through foul trouble in the second half, but still managed to finish with his program-record 22nd double-double as he tallied 10 points and 13 rebounds.
JaJuan Johnnson led four Boilermakers in double-figures with 23 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks. Point guard Lewis Jackson scored just eight points, but dished out nine assists as opposed to just one turnover.
Purdue advances to play the winner of #5 Texas A&M/#12 Utah State here on Sunday.
