ALBANY, NY – In a matchup featuring two of the nation's top scoring defenses, Siena Basketball reigned supreme. The Saints stymied Marist to the tune of just 14 second half points on only 21% shooting to beat their I-87 rivals at their own game in a 69-50 triumph at MVP Arena.
 
Siena (14-7, 7-3) put on a clinic in the second half, fueled by its best defensive stanza of the season. The Saints, who entered play ranked 23^rd nationally in scoring defense (65.7), out-scored Marist (12-7, 6-4) by a whopping 39-14 margin in the final stanza, while holding decided advantages in field goal percentage (50%-21%), rebounding (22-11), points in the paint (22-4), and points off turnovers (12-0) in a brilliant second half performance.
 
Meanwhile, Gavin Doty once again delivered at the offensive end, scoring 16 of his 21 points in the second half for Siena which has won three straight to already equal its win total from all of last season.
 
Reserve Rhyjon Blackwell scored 13 points to pace the Red Foxes which suffered their most lopsided defeat of the season. Justin Menard and Jason Schofield added 11 points apiece for Marist which shot just 5-24 in the second half including only 1-10 from three.
 
Fresh off a 67.4% shooting performance in a victory over Fairfield Monday, the Saints got off to another hot start. Siena connected on each of its first five shots to race out to a quick 11-point lead at 13-2 just over five minutes in.
 
But in a seesaw first half, the Red Foxes reeled off 12 unanswered of their own spanning just 2:01 down the stretch to take the lead. Elijah Lewis capped a 22-7 run to end the first half with a buzzer-beating three to stake Marist to a 36-30 lead at the break.
 
But then the second half happened.
 
Doty scored half of 14 unanswered points over 5:17 as the Saints reclaimed a 50-41 lead at the 10:51 mark. And then, harboring a four-point lead with 6:32 remaining, Siena delivered the knockout punch.
 
The Saints finished the game with 15 straight points over the final 5:40 to defeat the Red Foxes for the 15^th time in their last 19 trips to Albany. Marist misfired on each of its final nine field goal attempts, including all five from distance.
 
Justice Shoats scored 12 points for Siena which finished with 39 second half points on an even 50% shooting against a Red Foxes defense which entered the day ranked fourth nationally in scoring defense (62.3) and 10^th in field goal percentage defense (.389).
 
Brendan Coyle and Francis Folefac chipped in 10 points apiece for the Saints which reached the midway point of their conference schedule riding a wave of momentum. Siena currently stands tied for third in the MAAC Standings with Quinnipiac, a game-and-a-half back of current frontrunner Saint Peter's.
 
Antonio Chandler pulled down 11 rebounds in a spirited effort for the Saints who held a 38-24 overall advantage on the glass and 38-18 margin in the paint while making the most of their offensive opportunities. Siena turned eight offensive rebounds into a 16-2 advantage in second chance points to snap a four-game losing streak against their I-87 rivals.
 
After navigating a challenging six-game, 14-day stretch, the Saints will now have a well-earned eight-day respite before returning to action next weekend for the annual Western New York trip. Siena closes out the month at Niagara on Friday, Jan. 30 at 6:30 p.m.