WEST POINT, NY – Siena Basketball erupted for a decisive 23-2 second half run to rally past Army West Point 83-67 at Christl Arena. The Saints, who entered play averaging just 59.5 points over their first six games, exploded for 55 points in the second half alone on 57% shooting in the stanza to end November on a high note.
 
Colby Rogers led four in double figures with 18 points for Siena (2-5) who captured the first meeting in 31 years between the once former MAAC rivals. Anthony Gaines scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half and added seven rebounds for the Saints who shot a solid 47% overall, including 9-22 (41%) from three, and went 18-20 (90%) from the free throw line.
 
Josh Caldwell scored a game-high 19 points to go along with seven rebounds for Army West Point (4-3) which had won its first three home games. Jalen Rucker added 16 points for the Black Knights.  
 
Siena embarked upon its 23-2 second half run spanning 6:45 to claim a season-high 19-point advantage at 65-46 with 6:16 remaining. Nick Hopkins kickstarted the rally by scoring the first eight points, while Rogers added seven. Hopkins finished with 11 points overall, and posted a team-best plus-minus of +26.
 
Meanwhile, the Saints forced Army to miss 10 of 11 shots during the run, while holding the Black Knights to just a single basket spanning 7:32. Army shot just 31% in the second half after having connected at a 52% clip in the opening stanza.
 
The Black Knights reeled off 14 straight points of their own over just 3:53 early on – and held Siena to just three points over nearly nine minutes – to open as much as a 10-point lead at 23-13 with 8:12 left in the first half. But the Saints battled back and slowly chipped away to cut the deficit back down to a manageable five points at 33-28 at the break.
 
Siena eventually erased the deficit completely on a pair of Andrew Platek free throws to knot the score at 39-all with 15:07 to go. Army took its final lead at 44-42 on a three with 13:34 left before the Saints took flight with their best stretch of basketball on the young season.
 
Aidan Carpenter rounded out Siena's double figure scorers with 10 points in 20 minutes off the bench in his first game back after having missed the previous three games due to injury. The Saints' second unit tallied 26 points overall in a spirited effort, with Jared Billups adding season-highs of nine points and five rebounds to go along with a plus-minus of +19 in 21 minutes. Fellow reserve Jordan Kellier provided a much-needed shot in the arm in just his second game of the season after returning from injury, contributing six points and six rebounds in 15 minutes.
 
Siena returns to the Capital Region Friday for its lone home game during a seven-game stretch – and final contest in 2021 at the Times Union Center – when the Saints tip-off their 33^rd season of MAAC competition vs. Manhattan at 7 p.m.