NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, NY – Siena Basketball is back in the win column after wrapping up their prolonged Western New York trip with an exclamation point. The Saints shot a scintillating 70% (16-23) from the field in the second half while erupting for 60 points in the stanza to defeat Niagara 93-88 at the Gallagher Center.
 
Sean Durugordon produced an epic performance with a collegiate career-high 36 points to go along with 12 rebounds to help Siena (3-13, 2-3) snap an eight-game losing streak and secure its first win in 45 days, dating back to a 67-65 conference-opening victory over Rider on Dec. 1 in Albany. The recently eligible transfer extended his program Division I record streak to six straight 20-point performances to begin his Siena career – including back-to-back 30-point efforts on the Western New York trip – while averaging a whopping 25.8 points and posting three double-doubles.
 
The Saints exploded for the program's highest point total in a regulation game in five years to snap a 13-game drought outside the Capital Region and end a 10-game true road losing streak dating back to last Feb. 10 at Mount St. Mary's. The 93 points scored were the most in a regulation game since a 96-80 victory over American on Nov. 5, 2019 in the first game of the Carmen Maciariello Era. Siena had entered play averaging just 60.4 points, fourth fewest nationally.
 
Named the MAAC Rookie of the Week during the game for a conference-high third time, the league's leading freshman scorer (13.1) Ahmad Henderson II scored 27 points for Niagara (7-9, 3-3) which saw its four-game win streak snapped. Ball State transfer Luke Bumbalough added 15 points and seven assists for the Purple Eagles which lost despite dishing out 18 assists as opposed to only five turnovers.
 
Delayed a day due to the ongoing winter weather emergency in Western New York, the matchup saw Niagara jump out to a quick 10-2 lead. Siena erased the deficit with an 11-2 response later in the first half, but the Purple Eagles rebuilt their lead back to as many as eight before taking a 39-33 lead at the break.
 
The Saints scored nine unanswered points early in the second half capped by a Durugordon three-point play to claim a 47-45 lead at the 13:09 mark. Siena never trailed thereafter, and went on a 10-4 spurt down the stretch to take as much as an 11-point advantage at 82-71 with just 1:41 remaining.
 
But Niagara wouldn't go away easily and responded with a 14-4 flurry spanning just 74 seconds to rally all the way back within a point at 86-85 on a Henderson layup with only 16.4 seconds remaining. However, Siena made 7-8 from the free throw line thereafter, and smartly continued to foul the Purple Eagles to deny their attempt at a game-tying three, to hold on. Nine of the past 11 meetings between the MAAC rivals have now been decided by six points or less, as the Saints avenged last season's MAAC Quarterfinals loss at the hands of Niagara.
 
The 60-point second half outburst by Siena marked the program's most points in any half since an historic 64-point second half in the 2017 MAAC Quarterfinals vs. Monmouth. The Saints, which entered play shooting just 39.3% from the field, shot a stellar 62.5% overall on the afternoon, the program's highest percentage since connecting at a 65.1% clip in the 2019 MAAC Quarterfinals vs. Rider. Moreover, Siena, which came into the day second-to-last nationally in free throw percentage (59.8%), shot 31-37 (84%) from the charity stripe including 27-31 (87%) in the second half.
 
The 36-point performance by Durugordon marks the highest point total by a Siena player in five years since a 46-point effort by Jalen Pickett in a triple overtime loss vs. Quinnipiac on Feb. 17, 2019, and matches the highest point total in a regulation game since Doremus Bennerman scored a program-record 51 points vs. Kansas State in the NIT Third Place Game on Mar. 30, 1994 at Madison Square Garden.
 
Durugordon also established a new Siena single-game benchmark for the most made free throws without a miss, going a perfect 16-16 from the charity stripe, including 14-14 with the game on the line in the second half. Durugordon is the second Division I player this season to make at least 16 free throws without a miss, joining Kobe Sanders of Cal Poly who went 17-17 vs. CSUN on Dec. 28. Durugordon broke the 61-year Siena single-game record for the most made free throws without a miss, set by Frank Ryan who went 15-15 vs. RPI on Dec. 4, 1963.
 
The Saints improved to 32-4 (.889) under Maciariello when four or more score in double figures. Michael Eley tallied 18 points, while Killian Gribben contributed a career-high 13 including clutch free throws in the waning seconds to provide the final margin, as Siena secured a split of its Western New York trip for the second straight year. Reserve Michael Evbagharu added nine of his 10 points in the second half while chipping in six rebounds and four assists and posting a plus-minus of +21.
 
Reserve Kwane Marble II had 14 points off the bench for Niagara which shot just 8-26 (31%) from distance. The Purple Eagles had entered the afternoon ranked 10^th nationally in three-point field goal percentage (.395).
 
Following an unexpectedly extended five-day stay in Western New York, the Saints return to the friendly confines of MVP Arena when they host Quinnipiac Friday at 7 p.m.