Feb. 23, 2012
Final Stats
Marist gave away 1,000 Beat Siena T-Shirts Thursday night, and then the Red Foxes did just that. Jay Bowie's 3-pointer from the left corner pushed a two-point lead to five with 1:06 left keying a 9-0 run to close the game in Marist's 61-52 victory over the Saints in Poughkeepsie.
The win snapped Marist's 10-game losing streak against its archrival, and could have lasting ramifications for Siena.
The Saints entered their penultimate game of the regular-season in control of their own fate. With two victories, Siena would have avoided playing in the First Round in next weekend's MAAC Championships. Now the Saints need help to avoid finishing in the bottom four.
Siena trailed 46-34 before reeling off 14 straight points to take a 48-46 lead with 4:47 to play on a three-point play by OD Anosike. But Chavaughn Lewis converted a twisting drive on Marist's next possession to stop the bleeding and drew contact. His ensuing free throw put Marist up 49-48, and the Red Foxes never trailed again.
The Saints tied the game twice in the final minutes, the last time on an Anosike muscle move inside with 2:16 left. Siena didn't score again.
The Saints fall to 0-12 when failing to score 60 points this season. They had just 20 at halftime after shooting 29.6% from the floor.
Lewis led the charge for the Foxes with 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists. It marked the 17th straight game the promising freshman has reached double figures.
Anosike posted his nation-leading 21st double-double for the Saints with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Evan Hymes had 14 points and played all 40 minutes. Hymes and Anosike combined for 22 of Siena's 32 points after intermission.
It's the second straight game Siena has given up a huge run to close the game. Hofstra scored the final 10 points in the Saints' 12-point loss in Hempstead Saturday. Siena falls to 3-12 in road and neutral site games this season, and the Saints have had leads in the second half in 12 of those games.
"It's not over," head coach Mitch Buonaguro said. "We have a huge game Sunday, and Niagara still has two games left."
The Saints will need the Purple Eagles to trip up at least once, or have Rider drop its last two games to move back into the top six.
Most important, they'll need to beat Canisius on Senior Day Sunday at Times Union Center.
