WASHINGTON, DC – Brendan Coyle erupted for 20 of his season-high 23 points in the second half to lead Siena Basketball past Longwood 70-63 on the first day of the Capital Thanksgiving Classic at Bender Arena.
 
Coyle shot 5-12 from three for Siena which is off to its first 5-2 non-conference start in 23 years. Justice Shoats added 15 points on 7-9 shooting to go along with six assists and three of 12 total steals for the Saints, which forced 19 turnovers leading to 27 points.
 
Jacoi Hutchinson scored 15 points to pace Longwood (3-4). Reserve Redd Thompson, Jr. also tallied 15 of the 26 bench points for the Lancers, while adding seven rebounds and four assists.
 
Meeting for the first time ever, Longwood went on a 13-3 run midway through the first half to claim as much as an eight-point advantage at 19-11 with 7:58 left before the break. But Siena responded with an 11-3 spurt to knot the score, and the teams would ultimately play to a 28-all deadlock at the break.
 
The Saints opened the second half on a 16-7 run to reclaim a lead they would not relinquish. Siena, which shot 56% in the second half to finish above 50% overall (51%) for the third straight game, added a decisive 10-2 flurry over 3:10 down the stretch to open as much as a 14-point cushion at 66-52 with 2:01 remaining.
 
Gavin Doty contributed 11 points, six rebounds, and three steals for the Saints which snapped a four-game losing streak in Thanksgiving Week MTE's. DMV native and freshman Francis Folefac made his first collegiate start and stuffed the stat sheet in front of the home crowd, finishing with 10 points, eight rebounds, four steals, three assists, and three blocks.
 
Day Two of the three-day Capital Thanksgiving Classic features the Saints taking on host American Saturday at 4 p.m.