Feb. 19, 2015
Final Stats
For the second straight season Siena and Canisius needed extra time to settle their contest at Times Union Center, and for the second straight year the Griffs came out on top. Kassius Robertson hit a back-breaking 15-foot jumper as the shot clock expired with 1:07 left in overtime to break a 63-63 tie and Canisius tacked on four points from the free throw line to post a 69-63 victory in front of 6,976 fans.
Ryan Oliver obliterated his career-high with 23 points on 7-10 shooting (4-6 from distance) for Siena which missed a chance to pull into a three-way tie for fifth in the MAAC.
"It was a great basketball game," Siena coach Jimmy Patsos said. "I've said all along it's about winning, but it's about how you play. We played tough, it was a great effort. We made a lot of progress today. I really think our kids aren't quitting."
Oliver's last three-pointer put Siena up 57-54 with 1:24 left in regulation, but Jeremiah Williams answered with a tough three to tie the game at 57 with 1:11 left, setting up a frantic finish that was played in real time until the final seconds. Josiah Heath blocked Lavon Long's layup on Siena's next trip, but Long grabbed the rebound on Zach Lewis' missed three on Canisius' final possession. The Saints had the ball with three seconds left and tried an inbounds pass to midcourt where Javion Ogunymi had the ball batted away before gathering it for a desperation heave.
Long gave Siena its final lead of the game with his first basket of the game - a driving layup with 2:30 left in overtime. Kevin Bleeker answered for Canisius with two minutes left and that's where things stayed until Robertson's key basket. The Griffs had the ball under their own basket with just two seconds on the shot clock when Siena lost Robertson in a flurry of movement.
Rob Poole missed an open corner three that would have given Siena the lead with 38 seconds to play, and Wright fouled Robertson on the rebound.
Canisius jumped out to a quick 14-4 lead, but Siena rallied to tie the game at 29 at halftime.
Oliver had gone 15 straight games without reaching double figures before Thursday night's explosive effort.
"Ryan is really fighting for his spot," Patsos said. "That was a statement. It wasn't just shots, he was rebounding. That was a big game. When he's good, were good."
Ogunyemi and Wright each added 12 points for Siena. Oliver, Ogunyemi and Wright combined for 47 points and made 18-31 field goals. The rest of the team had 16 points and shot 6-22 from the field.
"We competed, we just came up empty," Patsos said. "I'm not going to tell a bunch of 18 to 22-year-olds who competed that hard they're losers."
The loss almost certainly relegates Siena to the First Round of the MAAC Tournament. One Canisius victory or one Siena loss in the final three games of the season would make it official.
The Saints host defending champion Manhattan on Senior Night Saturday. Rob Poole and Evan Hymes will be honored before tip-off.
