ALBANY, NY – Christmas came two days early for Siena Basketball fans, courtesy of a perfectly timed present from Elijah Burns. The local standout from nearby Troy connected for the game-winning three with 7.4 seconds to go as the Saints rallied from a 13-point deficit to defeat Canisius 73-72 in a wild MAAC opener at the Times Union Center.

Burns' three highlighted a wild final sequence which propelled Siena (4-5, 1-0) to its first 4-0 start at the Times Union Center in four years. Jalen Pickett made one of two free throws to put the Saints up 70-69 with 24.9 seconds to go, only to see Majesty Brandon's three claim the lead back for Canisius (5-6, 0-1) with 14.7 seconds remaining.

But on the ensuing possession, Pickett found a wide-open Burns who converted on his only three-point attempt of the night – and just his 11^th shot from distance all season – to send the Times Union Center into an uproar. Malik Johnson had a look at a tightly-contested 15-foot jumper from the left wing to win it, but the shot was long as Siena improved to 21-10 all-time in MAAC openers.

Pickett scored 22 points and added six rebounds, five assists, and three steals for the Saints who improved to 36-9 at home vs. the Golden Griffins during the Division I era. Named the MAAC Player of the Week earlier in the day, Burns finished with 16 points for Siena, while the nation's fifth leading rebounder Manny Camper posted his fifth double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds.

Brandon netted a career-high 30 points off the bench while shooting 7-10 from distance for Canisius who has dropped four of five following a four-game winning streak. Scott Hitchon added 15 points for the Golden Griffins who fell to 1-5 on the road.

Canisius controlled the opening half, shooting 55% from the field including 5-10 from three. The Golden Griffins led by as many as 13 points late in the stanza, and took a 41-30 advantage at the break.

But Siena came out flying to open the final stanza, thanks to the trio of Burns, Camper, and Pickett, who combined to score 40 of their 49 points during the Saints' 43-point second half. Siena bridged the halves with 13 unanswered points over just 2:11 to erase the deficit, and took their first lead of the night at 45-44 on a Burns dunk with 15:57 remaining.

It would be game on from there, as the remainder of the contest featured eight ties and 11 lead changes with neither side taking more than a four-point advantage. The Saints clamped down defensively in the second half, limiting the Golden Griffins to just 35% shooting in the stanza.

Donald Carey rounded out Siena's double figure scorers, tallying all 10 of his points in succession late in the first half. The Saints dominated the glass once again, holding a 42-29 advantage in rebounding which helped fuel a 13-4 margin in second chance points.
 
Siena continues its first of two season long four-game homestands – and concludes the non-conference portion of its schedule – when the Saints host Holy Cross Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Times Union Center.