Feb. 27, 2011

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What more could Ryan Rossiter do for the Siena men's basketball program and its fans? Funny you should ask. The senior center put an exclamation point on his stellar career, and his MAAC Player of the Year candidacy, treating the Siena faithful with a career-high 34-point effort in an 81-73 win over archrival Marist on Senior Night in Albany, his final game at Times Union Center.

In the process, Rossiter broke the school's 61-year old single-season rebounding record (Billy Harrell 49-50), and registered the 56th double-double of his sensational career.

Not to be out-done, classmate Clarence Jackson scored 14 of his 19 points in the second half, including a huge 3-pointer that broke open the game with 7:28 to play. It was Jackson's best performance since early in the year, an encouraging sign as the MAAC Tournament begins in earnest five days from now.

The Saints knew heading into their final game of the regular-season they would be the No. 7 seed and face No. 10 seed Manhattan in the First Round Friday night at 9:30 p.m. at the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn.

But this game did not have a meaningless feel.

The crowd of 7,456 greeted Rossiter with a 3-minute standing ovation after his accomplishments were read in a pregame ceremony. They remained a factor throughout the night. Siena would not lose this game.

The Saints roared back from a 34-30 halftime deficit with 51 second half points, and the crowd hung on every play, willing Rossiter to another historic record. The senior from Staten Island continues to add to his Siena career rebounding record, and to his double-double benchmark. He now has his sets sight on the single-season MAAC record, and could finish as high as second on the league's all-time rebounding charts.

The one record he and his classmates want is still there for the taking. In the 30-year history of the league, no players have won four MAAC Championships. Rossiter, Jackson and Steven Priestley could become the first.

As good as Siena's inside-outside senior tandem was, there were other contributors. Jonathan Breeden started for injured Rakeem Brookins (wrist), and delivered a solid performance, posting 10 points, three rebounds and just one turnover, running the Siena offense with precision. His effort led to praise from Head Coach Mitch Buonaguro, who called the second half Siena's best of the season.

It couldn't have come at a better time.

Siena snapped a five-game MAAC losing streak - its longest in six years, and showed signs that it could be a force to reckon with.

But the Saints will be playing against long odds.

Since Siena became the first and only team to win four-games to capture the 2002 MAAC Championship, no team seeded higher than No. 6 has reached the MAAC semifinals. That's something the Saints have done 16 times in their 21 seasons as a league member.

The road starts against the Jaspers, a team Siena has knocked out of the Tournament three of the last four years. The two teams split their season-series with each team defended its home court earlier this month.

This was Siena's 10th straight win on Senior Night. In fact, the Saints have lost just one Senior Night game since moving to Times Union Center in 1997-98. The win also gave Siena a winning home record (8-7), and moved this year's Senior Class to 52-13 in this building.

The victory didn't come easily. Siena withstood a career high 22 points from Anell Alexis, who came off the bench to lead a game Marist team.

The Red Foxes will be the No. 9 seed in this week's Championships, and face No. 8 seed Niagara at 7:30 p.m. Friday night.

As Rossiter came off the court for the final time for a curtain call that once again brought the fans to their feet, he didn't salute the crowd. Rather, he rushed to Buonaguro and begged for walk-on Conner Fenlon to enter the game, to log his first minute of the season. It was an unselfish move that typifies the best big man ever to wear the Green and Gold. Buonaguro obliged, and Fenlon was fouled with five seconds left. The crowd rose, eagerly anticipating the free throws.

Neither drooped. It was the only thing that didn't go according to script on this night. There wasn't exactly a storybook ending.

Or maybe that ending is yet to be written.