ALBANY, NY – The Br. Ed Coughlin Franciscan Cup is coming back to Siena College. Playing for the first time since the trophy was rededicated in honor of the late Siena president and St. Bonaventure alumnus who passed away this summer, Siena Basketball prevailed 78-65 in the annual battle between the sister schools at the Times Union Center.
Elijah Burns,
Donald Carey, and
Jalen Pickett scored 19 points apiece for Siena (2-1) which captured the trophy for the fourth time in 10 editions of the Franciscan Cup since the annual rivalry was rekindled in 2010.
Manny Camper registered his first collegiate double-double with 15 points and a career-high 17 rebounds for the Saints which snapped a three-game losing streak in the series and avenged last season's 42-point loss in Olean.
Dominick Welch scored a game-high 21 points to go along with seven rebounds for St. Bonaventure (0-3) which was predicted to finish fifth in the highly competitive Atlantic 10 Conference. Preseason Second Team All-Atlantic 10 selection Kyle Lofton contributed 14 points and seven assists, while reserve Justin Winston added 10 points for the Bonnies which shot 10-28 from three after having combined to shoot just 7-46 (15%) over their first two games.
Siena reclaimed the lead for good in a tight first half with a late 16-4 run to ultimately take a 38-35 lead at the break. Burns, Camper, and Pickett accounted for all of the scoring during the spurt, as the Saints' four double figure scorers on the evening combined for 72 of the team's 78 total points.
Siena harbored just a four-point lead at 60-56 heading into the under eight-minute media timeout of the second half, before Pickett and crew put the finishing touches on the victory. The Saints responded out of the stoppage with the ensuing nine points – the final seven of which came courtesy of Pickett – to take a commanding 13-point edge at 69-56 with just 4:35 remaining.
Burns recorded his third straight 19-point performance to open his Siena career while shooting 8-12 from the field to help the Saints muscle past St. Bonaventure. Siena held a plus-nine rebounding advantage, outscored the Bonnies 38-18 in the paint, and attempted 22 more free throws.
The Saints will look to carry over their success to the road where they get set to embark upon a season long four-game road trip. Siena plays its first of consecutive road games against the Ivy League's reining Co-Regular Season Champions from a year ago when the Saints travel to Cambridge, Massachusetts to take on Harvard Thursday night at 7 p.m.
