LOUDONVILLE – With an overtime thriller on the books in the last time these two teams met, the Siena Saints and Rider Broncs did not disappoint the crowd in Loudonville on Sunday afternoon. While the Saints took the victory in overtime a year ago, they would fall on the wrong side of the result Sunday, as a shot to tie it in the final seconds did not fall and the Saints would drop to the Broncs by a final score of 55-52.
While the game was close, the Saints were hampered by a tough day at the free throw line, shooting 19-for-33 (57.6 percent) from the charity stripe. Siena also fell victim to inconsistent offense, as their shooting percentage over the course of the game ranged up and down. They would shoot as high as 71.4 percent in the third quarter, to just an 18.2 percent clip in the second quarter.
The Green and Gold were led by redshirt senior
Joella Gibson, who tied a season-high with 14 points and added six rebounds, an assist, and a block. Junior
Maddie Sims, who scored 12 points and five rebounds while also putting up a pair of blocks and steals in the game. Redshirt senior
Aaliyah Jones and junior
Sabrina Piper each notched eight points, while Piper added five rebounds and a season-high three steals.
Rider was led by a 25-point performance from Stella Johnson, who also put up seven rebounds, four steals, three assists, and three blocks in the contest. Amari Johnson also put up double-figures for the Broncs, collecting a 17 point afternoon with six rebounds and four steals.
Siena got off to a blistering start, pouring in shots at a 50 percent clip in the first 10 minutes. All points would come from jump shots and foul shots. Jones who took over in the first few minutes and scored seven of the team's first 11 points. The Green and Gold would take a 17-12 lead going into the second quarter.
From there, things would flip the other way for Siena as the ball would have a tough time going through the cylinder. Siena would shoot just 18.2 percent (2-for-11) from the floor in the quarter, while Rider turned things up and shot 60 percent (6-for-10) and ended the half on a 17-4 run to snag a 29-23 lead after the first 20 minutes. The Saints had only put up six points in the quarter.
The third quarter brought a flurry of scoring from both sides, but led by the Saints. Siena began the quarter on an 8-0 run, and kept pace with the Broncs through the quarter. Johnson would hit a three for Rider with 4:45 to play, giving them a 37-33 lead. But Siena would respond with Piper, who spotted up and hit nothing but net in the following possession to bring the Saints within one, 37-36. Heading into the final quarter, it would be a three-point lead for Rider, 43-40.
Rider would get some breathing room to begin the fourth, leading by as many as seven points, which they would have with 2:25 remaining. After a free throw from Jones to cut the lead to six, the Saints would get a stop on the defensive side and bring the ball back on offense. Gibson would get the ball on the wing, cross over, step back, and knock down a three pointer to cut the game to three points, 53-50
Siena forced a turnover, which saw Piper get fouled and knock down a pair of free throws to come within one. The Saints would have a chance to tie the game at the end of the quarter down by three after Rider made a pair of free throws, but the ball would hit the back of the rim and bounce out.
The Green and Gold took the slight advantage in the paint, outscoring Rider 24-22, while both team took advantage of second chance points, combining for 45 points on second chance attempts.
The Saints return to the floor on Thursday, Jan. 17 when Siena heads south to Poughkeepsie to take on the Marist Red Foxes. Tip-off for the matchup is slated for 7 p.m.
