Men's College Basketball
Siena College 83, Rider University 79
ALBANY, NY-Playing in front of a national audience, the Broncs lost a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game at Siena Thursday night in the National MAAC Game of the Week on ESPN3.
Rider (6-12, 3-3 MAAC) trailed by as many as 22 points in the second half and cut it to four points three times but could get no closer. "We played better defense in the second half, which gave us a chance to come back," said Rider head coach Tommy Dempsey.
Siena junior forward OD Anosike, the leading rebounder in the MAAC, led the Saints with 23 points and 14 rebounds. "They were posting up against our zone and they really hurt us on the glass in the first half," Dempsey said.
Siena out-rebounded Rider 24-14 in the first half but just 42-40 for the game. "In the second half we played more physical," Dempsey said. "That was a real emphasis at half time."
Holding a 47-37 lead early in the second half, Siena (8-8, 3-3 MAAC) out-scored Rider 12-2, six points by 5'8" freshman Evan Hymes, to take a 59-39 lead with 14:45 left to play. Three times the MAAC Rookie of the Week, Hymes finished with 20 points. "We knew Hymes was a good player but he's a step quicker than we thought," Dempsey said.
Trailing 74-58, Rider went on a 13-1 run, eight points by senior Jeff Jones (Chester, PA/Monsignor Bonner), to cut the lead to four, 75-71 with 1:50 left to play. "We're a rhythm team and we found our rhythm during that stretch," Dempsey said. "We got it going a little there."
Jones finished with 17 points. "It got interesting and if we made another shot or two it would have been real interesting," Dempsey said. "We had one rattle out that would have cut it to one."
Holding a 27-22 lead, Siena out-scored Rider 20-4, 10 points by Anosike, to take a 47-26 lead, and the Saints led 47-33 at the half. "It took us a while to find our way out there," Dempsey said.
Holding a 12-10 lead, Siena went on an 11-2 run, five points by Kyle Downey, to take a 23-12 lead 8:28 into the game. Downey finished with 11 points. "We looked a step slow but I think Siena's play had a lot to do with that," Dempsey said.
Brandon Walters added 14 points and 12 rebounds for Siena.
The loss snaps Rider's three-game winning streak and the victory is the third straight for Siena. "Give Siena credit, they are playing really good basketball right now," Dempsey said. "They came out and took it to us in the first half."
For the Broncs, junior Jonathon Thompson (Orlando, Fla./Jones) compiled 16 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
Rider senior Brandon Penn (Philadelphia, Pa./Paul Robeson) compiled 15 points and 13 rebounds. Penn has compiled 127 points and 70 rebounds in the last seven games, with five 'double-doubles'
Sophomore Daniel Stewart (Philadelphia, PA/Neumann-Goretti) added 11 points and nine rebounds. Stewart is second in the MAAC in field goal percentage and eighth in rebounding.
The Broncs made 10 of 27 three-point field goals. Rider leads the MAAC in three-point field goals made and three-point field goal percentage.
Siena won the MAAC Championship in 2010, 2009 and 2008, as well as 2002 and 1999.
The Broncs won in the Times Union Center 68-60 in the last meeting between these two teams. Siena won at Rider 73-60 last season.
Rider travels to Fairfield Monday.
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