LOUDONVILLE - Before Thursday's conference-opening game against Saint Peter's, Siena coach Mitch Buonaguro told freshman Rob Poole to stop thinking and start shooting.

Poole responded with his best game to date for the Saints, scoring 11 points on 3-for-6 shooting and also grabbing three rebounds in the 51-44 loss.

Impressively, Poole played 25 minutes, considering he had been dealing with a sinus infection all week.

“I thought he couldn’t have played better,” said Siena coach Mitch Buonaguro. “He played really well."

Poole said he hopes that he can contribute like that for the remainder of the year.

“I feel I can do that every game if my shot is good,” Poole said.

Interestingly, Poole thought he may have played better because the size of the gym was smaller and there weren't too many fans in the stands.

“I think that’s why I felt so comfortable out there playing,” he said.

Poole said his father and uncle came up from the Philadelphia area for the game.

Poole just hopes he can continue making progress and have more games like Thursday evening.

“Hopefully I can do that through the rest of the season to help this team win,” Poole said.