WILKES-BARRE TOWNSHIP, PA – Home sweet home. Northeast Pennsylvania natives Gerry McNamara (Scranton) and Justice Shoats (Wilkes-Barre) were victorious in their homecoming as Siena Basketball got back on track with a 71-58 triumph over Bucknell in a neutral site affair in front of 3,079 at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.  
 
Newcomer Major Freeman scored a Siena (4-4) career-high 21 points for the Saints which snapped a four-game skid following a 3-0 start. Meanwhile, Shoats bounced back with 19 points while playing all 40 minutes in his first start in a Siena uniform for the Saints who secured the program's first .500 or better month since going 7-2 in January 2023.
 
Josh Bascoe tallied 15 points and Achille Spadone added 10 for Bucknell (4-5) which has dropped three straight overall and has lost to all three MAAC teams it has faced this season.
 
Siena trailed for just 23 seconds in a near wire-to-wire victory to defeat Bucknell for the sixth time in eight tries. A spirited defensive effort and timely shooting fueled a 14-2 run over the final 7:03 of the stanza as the Saints claimed their first halftime lead of the season at 31-21.
 
Siena carried over that momentum into the second half, connecting on each of their first five shots of the stanza including a perfect 4-4 from three against the top field goal defense unit in the Patriot League. Brendan Coyle, who scored 11 of his 14 points in the second half, accounted for three of those triples as the Saints lead ultimately ballooned to as much as 18 at 50-32 with 11:47 remaining.
 
The Bison chipped away to rally back within eight on several occasions down the stretch but Siena, which shot 23-28 (82%) overall from the foul line, made 7-8 over the final 1:18 to provide McNamara and Shoats with a homecoming to remember. The "Mayor of Scranton," McNamara was a two-time Associated Press Pennsylvania State Player of the Year at Bishop Hannan (now Holy Cross), while Shoats earned Pennsylvania Sports Writers Class 3A All-State Second Team honors while starring for Holy Redeemer.
 
The Saints achieved their best defensive performance to date, allowing a season-low 58 points while tightening the screws on the three-point line where Bucknell shot just 3-22. Siena entered play ranked eighth-worst nationally in three-point defense (.406). Additionally, the Saints limited Preseason All-Patriot League selection and Bison leading scorer Noah Williamson (15.6 points) to just six points while forcing the 7-footer into four turnovers.  
 
After weathering a grueling three-game, six-day stretch, Siena will now have six days to prepare for the annual December MAAC Opening Weekend. The Saints conclude their seven-game stretch away from home while opening conference play with the always challenging Western New York trip, which begins at Niagara Friday at 6:30 p.m.
 
This postgame recap is proudly presented by The Brothers that just do Gutters, a proud partner of Siena Athletics. Trust the team that always comes through – on the court and for your home.