WASHINGTON, DC – Five wins in 10 days. A four-win road week. Siena Basketball put a bow on a November to remember by completing the three-game sweep of the Capital Thanksgiving Classic with a 64-60 victory over Maine at Bender Arena.
 
Gavin Doty posted a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds to pace Siena (7-2) which is off to the program's best nine-game non-conference start in 27 years since finishing a perfect 9-0 during the 1998-99 MAAC Championship season. Justice Shoats added 16 points for the Saints which close out November on a five-game win streak, the program's longest in three years.
 
Reserve Logan Carey scored 17 points on 7-10 shooting for Maine (0-9) which received 34 points from their bench. TJ Biel contributed 11 points for a Black Bears squad which was predicted to finish tied for second in the America East following a 20-win campaign a season ago.
 
Siena led throughout, but could never shake pesky Maine. The Saints scored on each of their first eight possessions to race out to a 17-5 lead less than six minutes in. The Black Bears rallied within a pair down the stretch, but Siena scored the final nine points of the half to push the lead back to double digits at 36-25 at the break. The Saints were +10 on the glass in the first half, and scored 24 of their points in the paint.
 
Siena ultimately built their advantage to 15 at 51-36 with 12:26 remaining, but as has been a microcosm of their season to this juncture, Maine dug themselves a sizable deficit before making a run late.
 
The Black Bears, who shot 58% in the second half including 5-8 from three, scored eight unanswered midway through the stanza, and then Carey capped a 7-0 spurt late with a corner three to make it a one-point game at 61-60 with 25.3 seconds to go.
 
After Shoats was fouled and made one of two at the line, Maine had a chance to tie or win. But freshman Francis Folefac again came up clutch, making the decisive defensive stop, grabbing the rebound, and connecting for the sealing free throws with 3.3 seconds left. The Saints shot 16-24 from the free throw line while the Black Bears, who entered the day ninth worst nationally from the charity stripe (.609), were just 7-15.
 
Folefac finished with 12 points for Siena which improved 3-0 against America East foes this season, with one final contest remaining next month at Vermont.
 
The Saints will now look to keep their momentum rolling into both the month of December and first wave of MAAC action next weekend. Siena returns to the Capital Region for a Western New York weekend, beginning with the conference opener vs. Niagara Friday at 7 p.m. at MVP Arena.