MOON TOWNSHIP, PA – For the second straight year a frenetic finish between Siena Basketball and Robert Morris came down to the wire, and once again the Saints prevailed.
Kevin Degnan hit the game-winning three with 2.0 seconds to go to send Siena to a thrilling 74-71 victory over the Colonials.
Siena (4-6) led by as many as 18 points with 16:25 left, however a 22-4 Robert Morris (4-6) run put the Colonials back in the lead at 67-65 with 4:26 remaining. But while the Saints bent they wouldn't break, and instead preserved in crunch time.
Jalen Pickett backed down his defender to score the tying basket with 41.7 seconds remaining, and then found Degnan open on the left wing for the decisive dagger.
Degnan finished with a career-high 19 points including 5-8 shooting from distance for shorthanded Siena which gutted out a key road win despite being without the services of its top-two interior options in
Evan Fisher and
Sammy Friday IV. Pickett scored a game-high 20 points and added seven rebounds and seven assists for the Saints which have won nine straight vs. the current NEC membership dating back to 1995.
Josh Williams tallied 19 points for Robert Morris which suffered its first loss in four home games this season. Matty McConnell added 16 points for the Colonials which shot 56% from the field in defeat.
Siena connected on eight of its first 10 shots including 4-6 from three to race out to a 20-9 lead just seven and a half minutes in. Robert Morris responded with a 14-3 rally to draw even, but the Saints scored the final six points of the half capped by a Pickett four-point play with 1.9 seconds remaining to claim a 38-32 lead at the break. Siena ultimately bridged the halves with a 23-5 run to claim their largest lead just under four minutes into the second half.
Manny Camper chipped in with a career-high 14 points on a perfect 6-6 shooting for the Saints which shot 51% from the field including 11-25 from three.
Jimmy Ratliff added 10 points for head coach
Jamion Christian who has won eight of the last nine meetings against his old rival in the Colonials. Christian, who previously served as the head coach at Mount St. Mary's from 2012-18, improved his overall record vs. the NEC to 77-43 (.643) including 68-39 (.636) in regular season action. Â
Siena will now enjoy a season long 10-day break for final exams before returning to action on Tuesday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. when they host reigning CAA Champion College of Charleston at the Times Union Center.
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