ALBANY - Siena played well in the second half, but Iona had just too much offense on Sunday afternoon.

The Gaels finished the game on a 22-9 run and got out of Albany, with an 87-78 victory, in front of 5,793 fans.

When Marquis Wright fouled out with 7:12 to play, the Saints led 69-65. Siena (3-3, 7-10) lost the lead for good , when Mike Poole hit two free throws, with 4:27 remaining.

Iona (5-1, 8-7) hit 15 3-pointers and was led by A.J. English, who scored a career-high 31 points.

The Saints got 19 points from Evan Hymes and 16 from Rob Poole.

Siena plays at Manhattan, on Thursday evening.

ALBANY - Iona is pretty darn good.

The Gaels came into Albany as one the top scoring teams in the country and they haven't disappointed. Iona made nine 3-pointers and leads Siena, 50-40, in the first half.

Siena actually outshot Iona by percentage (48%-45%), but those many three's gave the Gaels a double-digit lead.

A.J. English scored 15 straight Iona points late in the half and he leads all scorers with 17. Sean Armand also started getting heated up, scoring 15 for Iona.

The Saints were led by Evan Hymes, who has 12 points off the bench.

Siena actually ran with high-flying Iona pretty well, but can they keep it up and keep up scoring at this pace.

ALBANY - Siena is on a roll at home right now.

The Saints won their fifth consecutive home game on Friday night, downing rival Marist, 67-58, in front of 5,864 fans in downtown Albany.

Siena (3-2, 7-9) got 17 points off the bench from Evan Hymes and 16 more from Brett Bisping, who also grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.

Marist (2-3, 5-10), which played without center Adam Kemp, was led by freshman Khallid Hart, who scored a game-high 22 points.

The Saints will be back at home on Sunday, when they host Iona.

ALBANY - The first half was certainly a foul fest between Siena and Marist.

The two teams combined for 24 fouls (two technicals) and 33 free throws attempted (28 made).

Still, the Saints scored the half's final six points and lead, 32-25, at intermission.

The teams didn't shoot well. Siena was 8-for-25 (32%), while Marist was 5-for-24 (20.8%)

The Saints were led by Brett Bisping, who scored 11 points.

The Red Foxes, who had to deal with foul trouble with both Chavaughn Lewis and Jay Bowie, were led by Khalid Hart, who had 10 points. 

ALBANY - The University at Albany didn't play its best on Wednesday evening, but they don't ask how, they ask if.

The Great Danes were able to claw and scrape their way to a 73-72 double overtime victory over UMBC, in front of 2,145 fans at SEFCU Arena.

UAlbany (2-0, 8-7) got a career-high 27 points from Peter Hooley and 20 points and 12 rebounds from Sam Rowley, but it was John Puk's single free throw with 0.4 seconds remaining that sealed the victory.

The Retrievers were poised to pull the upset, as freshman Rodney Elliott scored 22 and Devarick Houston added 19. UMBC (0-2, 4-11) is now 0-10 on the road this season, including 0-2 in America East play. 

ALBANY - The University at Albany didn't play its best first half of the seasons.

The Great Danes bounced back from an early deficit and lead UMBC by one, 27-26, at halftime.

Sam Rowley led the way with 12 points for UAlbany.

The Retreievers got eight points from Bryan Harris, off the bench.

Coming off a night where they made a Division I program record 16 3-pointers, UAlbany shot just 1-for-6 from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes.

ALBANY - Siena didn't allow a second-half lead to slip away on Saturday.

The Saints powered through Rider, handing the Broncs their first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference loss, 62-47, in front of 6,180 fans in downtown Albany.

Siena (2-2, 6-9) has now won four straight home games. The Saints got a career-high 20 points from Brett Bisping, while Rob Poole added 12.

The Broncs shot just 27 percent (14-51) for the game, missing their first 12 shots of the night. Rider (3-1, 7-6) was led by senior Anthony Myles, who scored a game-high 21 points. 

ALBANY - That was an ugly first half on the offensive end.

Siena jumped out to an 11-1 lead, while Rider missed its first 12 shots from the field.

Both teams figured things out eventually and started shooting the ball okay from the field.

The Broncs lead the country in 3-point field goal percentage and got back into the game thanks to the long-distance shot and Anthony Myles. Myles had 13 points and was 3-for-4 from beyond the arc in the first half.

The Saints were led in the first half by Brett Bisping, who scored seven points. 

Siena shot 7-for-25 (28%) in the first half, while Rider was just 7-for-24 (29.2%).

ALBANY - For about six minutes on Monday evening, the Siena men's basketball team played about as well as it possibly can.

The Saints went on a 22-0 run to turn a 13-point deficit into a lead they wouldn't surrender, eventually knocking off Fordham 79-69, in front of 6,131 fans in downtown Albany.

“It was a pretty big win," said junior Evan Hymes, who finished with 12 points and three assists, off the bench. 

What it means: Siena doesn't have the best record, but the team has picked up some nice victories, beating two Atlantic 10 teams (Fordham, St. Bonaventure) and knocking off Hofstra here last week.

This team was picked 10th in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference poll, but if they play like they have been over the past few weeks, they will almost certainly finish higher in the standings.

Player of the game: Siena coach Jimmy Patsos said it was Hymes' emotion that got the team over the top, but fellow junior Rob Poole was awesome. He scored 20 of the team's first 40 points and finished with a career-high 28. Poole also chipped in six rebounds and helped guard the terrific guards Fordham has. Poole has elevated his game at both ends of the floor and is playing like an all-conference play.

Play of the game: Trailing 53-40, the Saints went on a 22-0 run that spanned 6:35. Siena went into a zone defense and the crowd helped spur them on offensively. The Rams couldn't score and the Saints couldn't be stopped.

“Without the fans, we wouldn’t have been as pumped up," said Poole.

Up next: Siena only has a few days off before their first game in 2014, at Monmouth, on Thursday. From here on out, it's all MAAC play for the Saints.

ALBANY - The Siena men's basketball team played its best half of the season in the second half on Monday night.

The Saints scored 52 points and erased a 13-point deficit to post a 79-69 victory over Fordham, in front of 6,131 fans in downtown Albany.

Siena (5-8) was led by junior Rob Poole, who scored a career-high 28 points, to lead four players in double figures.

The Rams (7-5) were led by Mandell Thomas, who scored 20 points.

After an abysmal shooting first half, the Saints finished 16-for-29 (55.2%) after intermission.

The Saints trailed 53-40, before going on a 22-0 run that gave them the lead for good.

Siena has now won two straight games and three of its last four. The Saints travel south to take on Monmouth, on Thursday.

ALBANY - To say Siena struggled to start Monday's game would be a strong understatement.

The Saints figured some things out and trail Fordham just 34-27 after the first half.

Siena got 12 points from Rob Poole, but not much else. The Saints shot just 8-for-28 (28.6%) for the half. 

The Rams didn't play much better, getting 11 points from Branden Frazier, who heated up late in the half.

ALBANY - Siena's young players keep maturing right before our eyes.

The Saints have been in a number of close games and yet they haven't really played like inexperienced players.

Siena used a balanced effort to get past Hofstra, 67-59, on Friday evening. The Saints are now 3-3, in games decided by eight points or less (two of the losses came to Purdue).

What it means:  The Saints have proved they are a better team at home, with a 2-1 record, and having won their past two games. That should bode well for this team, which plays four of its next five on the road, including three MAAC games.

Siena got a lot of balance in this game, having four players in double figures and Marquis Wright adding eight. If they can get that kind of balance, they will be a tough team to defend, come the return of conference play.

Player of the game: Rob Poole didn't have a terrific game offensively, but he finished with 14 points, six rebounds and three assists. In addition, he guarded Hofstra's top player Zeke Upshaw, who had a miserable game, going 2-for-17 from the field and finishing with just seven points.

Play of the game: After Dion Nesmith drained a 3-pointer to cut Siena's lead to 53-51, Wright got an open look at calmly drained a 3-pointer to put the Saints back five. Wright was just 2-for-10 from beyond the arc coming into the game, but didn't hesitate to let it fly.

On that play, Patsos moved Evan Hymes to the point guard position and that allowed Wright to find himself open.

Injury Update: Freshman Javion Ogunyemi played for the first time in a month, after suffering an ankle injury in the St. Bonaventure game. While he finished with zero points (0-3 shooting), he played 12 minutes and had two rebounds.

“I just have to work on my conditioning and my game will get back to where it needs to be," he said.

Up next: The Saints are off for a week before they host Fordham, in the final non-conference game of the year.

ALBANY - The Siena men's basketball team closed out another game on Friday evening.

The Saints held the lead throughout the second half, despite Hofstra constantly coming closer and closer, to post a 67-59 victory.

Maurice White, Lavon Long and Rob Poole all scored 14 points for the Saints (4-8).

The Pride (3-7) were led by Jamall Robinson, who scored a career-high 16.

ALBANY - The Siena men's basketball team played well for about 15 minutes, but finished very sloppy.

The Saints led by as many as 13, but lead Hofstra by just five, 28-23, at intermission.

Siena was led by freshmen Lavon Long and Maurice White. Long had 10 points, while White scored eight and grabbed eight rebounds, already a career-high.

The Pride started the half shooting very poorly from the field, but were led by Chris Jenkins, who scored eight points off the bench in the first half.

Troy High grad Javion Ogunyemi played his first action since the last home game, Nov. 19 against St. Bonaventure. Ogunyemi played seven minutes and missed all three shots he took.

ALBANY - The University at Albany used its most balanced effort on Friday evening, to take down Yale, 70-62, at SEFCU Arena.

The Great Danes had three guys in double figures, led by DJ Evans, who scored 14. Nine different players scored for UAlbany, including Dallas Ennema, who scored his first points in his first career game action.

What it means: UAlbany is now 2-2 at home and 5-0 this season, when scoring 70 or more points in a game. It also means the Great Danes won't suffer any sort extended losing streak, heading into conference play, with just non-league games left.

Yale is another good team and UAlbany didn't play its best and still led by 10, with as little at 2:17 to play.

This was a good, solid victory.

Player of the game: Luke Devlin has dealt with more injuries that I even remember and yet the senior played his best game of the season. Constantly moving, even when he was out of the game, Devlin scored nine points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out four assists.

An all-rookie guy as a freshman, Devlin has been plagued by injuries and it was nice to see him put out a nice performance.

Play of the game: The Great Danes made their free throws down the stretch. In fact, UAlbany's last 10 points came from the free throw line, as they hung on, despite a ferocious press from Yale in the late stages. John Puk also did a great job receiving the inbounds and then making some foul shots, finishing with 13 points, one shy of his career-high.

Injury Update:  Levan Shengelia gutted it out for two minutes, scoring two points and grabbing a rebound. On the rebound though, he reinjured his right shoulder. Coach Will Brown said Shengelia felt a sharp pain and that's what Brown elected not to put him back in the game. That shoulder will have to have surgery, it's just a matter of when.

Up next: The Great Danes head out of town tomorrow and take on Drake on Monday evening. The game is a homecoming of sorts for Ennema and Puk, who are both from Iowa. 

ALBANY - The University at Albany got a lot of different contributions on Friday evening and it led to a nice home victory.

The Great Danes are now 5-0 when scoring 70 or more points this season and are 2-2 at home.

Luke Devlin played tremendously, scoring nine points, grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists. John Puk (13 points) and Dallas Ennema (8 points).

The Bulldogs were led by Javier Duren, who scored a game-high 26 points.

UAlbany heads out of town tomorrow and faces Drake on Monday.

ALBANY - There wasn't much offense in the final home game for the University at Albany in 2013.

The Great Danes led by as many as nine points, but lead by just three, 25-22, at halftime against Yale.

UAlbany couldn't get to the free throw line, even though they tried, as Yale was called for just three fouls in the first half.

Coach Will Brown used his bench more than he has recently, playing Levan Shengelia, Luke Devlin and Dallas Ennema, who saw the first playing time of his career.

John Puk led the way with six points for the Great Danes.

The Bulldogs had shooting concerns of their own, as the were just 7-for-31 (22.6%) from the field. Javier Duren has 10 points to lead Yale at the break.

The University at Albany women's basketball team held its own in the first half of Thursday's game at No. 2 Duke.

In face, sophomore Shereesha Richards proved she could play right with the Blue Devils, posting 20 points and seven rebounds in the first half.

In the second half, Duke proved why they are the No. 2 ranked team, coasting away to an 80-51 victory.  

 

AP

The UAlbany men's team takes on Yale on Friday evening, at SEFCU Arena.

ALBANY - The UAlbany players and coaches knew what Colgate was going to do on Saturday evening. They just couldn't stop them.

The Raiders knocked down 13 3-pointers, leaving the Capital District with a 69-60 victory. Colgate shot 13-for-28 (46.4%) from beyond the arc and got treys from six different players.

What it means: UAlbany better not run into too many more good shooting teams. In their last two home games, they've allowed 27 3-pointers -- way to many.

It also means that this team hasn't quite figured everything out. They didn't score a lot and they didn't get to the free throw line nearly as much as they did against Brown, just four days ago. 

Player of the game: Murphy Burnatowski knows UAlbany from his Maine days and he made the Great Danes pay. While Austin Tillotson was the team's leading scorer, it was Burnatowski who hit five 3-pointers and led the way with 19 points.

UAlbany player of the game: Sam Rowley incredibly airballed a free throw, something coach Will Brown said he had never see the junior do, even in practice. But still Rowley put up good numbers, scoring a game-high 21 points and grabbing 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. He wasn't his best, but he was still the reason the Great Danes had a chance at the end.

Play of the game: More than one play. Colgate hit four consecutive three's late in the game, to turn a 54-52 lead into a 66-56 advantage. Triples from Tillotson, Burnatowski, Damon Sherman-Newsome and Tillotson again put the game out of reach.

Injury update: UAlbany lost more than a game on Saturday evening. Coach Brown said that Levan Shengelia had dislocated his shoulder on Thursday, resulting in a torn labrum. He may be able to play through the pain, but also may end up being shut down. Also, Luke Devlin's back is so bad that he basically can only play one shift in the first half and that's it. Finally, Anthony Odunsi still has yet to be cleared to play, after suffering a concussion in practice. He may also be shut down for the year, if he can't get cleared to play relatively soon. 

Up next: The Great Danes are off until next Friday, when they host Yale at SEFCU Arena. The team is 1-2 this season at home and will have to start some steam, as conference play grows near.

ALBANY - For the second straight home game, the University at Albany allowed a team to make 3-pointers at will.

Colgate knocked down 13 3-pointers on the way to a 69-60 victory at SEFCU Arena on Saturday evening.

The Raiders shot 13-28 (46.4%) from beyond the arc and were led by Murphy Burnatowski, who hit five 3-pointers and finished with 19 points.

Sam Rowley scored a game-high 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Great Danes, while Gary Johnson added 14 points, five rebounds and four assists.