Siena opened Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play with a resounding 84-71 road victory over Niagara on Friday evening.

Here is the game story, from our stringer who was at the Gallagher Center.

The Buffalo News looks at how the Saints held the nation's leading scorer, Antoine Mason, who came in averaging 30 points per game, to just 18. 

Here is the school's release, with postgame video from coach Jimmy Patsos.

The Saints remain in western New York, to take on Canisius on Sunday, at 2 p.m.   

The Siena men's basketball team and new coach Jimmy Patsos kick off Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play on Friday evening, with a game against Niagara.

AP

This is the last conference opponent the Saints faced, losing to the Purple Eagles, 74-62, in the 2013 MAAC quarterfinals, in Springfield, Mass. That game was the final game in O.D. Anosike's career. It also marked the final game for coach Mitch Buonaguo, who was fired, three days later.

Nine months later, life springs etnernal for this (mostly) new bunch of Saints, as they head out to western New York to meet Niagara and Canisius.

Siena will be up against the two top scorers in the MAAC, and the leading scorer in the country, in Niagara's Antoine Mason (30.0 ppg), the son of former NBA player Anthony Mason. 

The Saints haven't won at Niagara's Gallagher Center since the 2007-08 season, which was the last year they swept this difficult road trip.

Tonight's game will be broadcast across the state of New York, on Time Warner Cable Sports.

Below Siena coach Mitch Buonaguro and senior O.D. Anosike talk about the 74-62 loss to Niagara in the MAAC quarterfinals. 



Anosike talks about the game and his career.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - It was a valiant effort, but Siena didn't have enough firepower to stay with top-seeded Niagara on Saturday.

The Purple Eagles just had too much offense and advanced to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference semifinals, with a 74-62 victory on Saturday afternoon.

The loss marks the final game for Siena senior O.D. Anosike, who finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Antoine Mason led all scorer with 21 points, while Juan'ya Green added 15.

The Saints finish the season at 8-24, tying the program mark for most losses in a season.

Following three consecutive losing seasons, the question now is will coach Mitch Buonaguro be back for a fourth season as the head coach.

"I'm the coach," he said. "I have a contract through next year and I'll see what happens."

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - A wild and entertaining half of basketball is in the books.

Either Niagara or Siena is just 20 minutes from the semifinals.

The first half saw a little bit of everything, as the Saints trail 32-31. They are in good position, which could be even better if they hadn't missed eight free throws.

Evan Hymes and Rob Poole each have nine points for Siena.

Antonie Mason leads the Purple Eagles with eight. Antoine's father, Anthony Mason, a former New York Knicks forward, is in attendance.

It was a physical half, with 20 fouls being called, including a technical to Rakeem Brookins.

Niagara lost starter Tahjere McCall early, when he tried to make a move and grabbed at his knee.

Before the Siena men's basketball team takes the floor on Sunday, to end the regular season against Iona, the Saints know their opponents in the postseason tournament.

With Saint Peter's losing 78-61 to Niagara, the Peacocks are the No. 10 seed, meaning Siena will play in the No. 8/9 matchup.

Siena will play Marist (one team will be No. 8, the other will be No. 9) on Friday March 8, at 7:30 p.m.

The Red Foxes and Saints split the season series, with Marist winning on Friday, 76-74, in Albany.

If Siena can beat Marist on Friday, they would get regular-season champion Niagara on Saturday, at 2:30 p.m. The Purple Eagles finished the regular season 13-5, and swept the Saints in two meetings.

Siena sophomore Evan Hymes talks about the team's loss to Niagara on Friday evening.

ALBANY - In a season plagued by late-game situations, Siena was once again done in in the final minutes of Friday's game.

The Saints (2-7, 4-16) were down just one with less than four minutes to play, but it was Niagara that executed late to leave Albany with its first win since 2005.

Juan'ya Green led the Purple Eagles (8-1, 12-8), just missing a triple-double with 19 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds.

Evan Hymes matched a career-high with 30 points, including Siena's first 15 of the second half, but he committed two turnovers in the final three minutes that really hurt.

Rob Poole added 14 in his first game back from the flu, which sidelined him for four games, while O.D. Anosike finished with eight points and 10 rebounds.

Antonie Mason, son of former NBA player Anthony Mason, added 17 points for Niagara.

ALBANY - Siena played one of its best offensive halves

Despite playing without Imoh Silas (ankle), Ryan Oliver (knee) and Rakeem Brookins (back), the Saints played tough.

Siena was led offensively by Rob Poole, who missed the past four games due to the flu. Poole has 12 and Evan Hymes chipped in 11.

The Purple Eagles were led by a balanced attack. Juan'ya Green and Ameen Tanksley each have nine points.

The Saints trail by only two to a team that beat them by 23, just eight days ago. That's the good news. The bad news is that Niagara led by only six in that game and blew it open after intermission.

The game has also had some physicality, with Hymes picking up a flagrant and Joe Thomas picking up a technical foul. Tanksley also took a tumble, when colliding with Burdine and Anosike.

Siena sophomore Rob Poole talks about his return to the court after missing four games with the flu and the team's next game against Niagara.

Siena got clobbered by Niagara on Thursday evening, losing 87-64. The Saints (2-5, 4-14) played all right in the first half, but the Purple Eagles (6-1, 10-8) really blew it open after intermission.

Here are some highlights, courtesy of the Siena Athletic Department. 



Here are some postgame comments, courtesy of the Siena Athletic Department.

Here are some highlights from Thursday night's Siena game against Niagara, courtesy of the Siena Athletic Department.



Siena coach Mitch Buonaguro talks about the 58-54 loss.

J.S. Carras/The Record

Siena has a pivotal game on Thursday evening.

The Saints are one game ahead of Niagara in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference standings and really trying to remain in the top six spots, to avoid having to play in the first round of the league tournament (which i can't believe is only three weeks away).

The Purple Eagles have a young, tough team that gave Siena a lot of trouble earlier this season.

Niagara has lost five games in a row, all to solid teams, but they are in a rut, for sure.

In my opinion, the Saints have to go 4-1 in their final five MAAC games, to be assured of avoiding the play-in game. That would put them at 9-9, which isn't unrealistic because they play four games against teams below them in the standings (although three of final five league games are on the road).

SIENA AT NIAGARA

When: Tonight, 7 p.m. Where: Gallagher Center (2,400), Lewiston
TV: Time Warner-3
Radio: TALK 1300-AM
2011-12 Records: Siena (5-8, 10-13) Niagara (4-9, 9-16)
Last Meeting: Siena 72, Niagara 60, at Times Union Center, Albany, on Jan. 8, 2012 — Siena leads the
all-time series 43-41

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
SIENA

No./Name    Pos.    Yr.    Ht.    Avg.
5    Evan Hymes     G    Fr.    5-8    14.2
3    Kyle Downey    G    Sr.    6-2    12.7  
31    Owen Wignot    F    Sr.    6-6     5.7 
1    OD Anosike    F    Jr.    6-8    15.1 
0    Brandon Walters     C     Jr.     6-8     6.4

NIAGARA

No./Name     Pos.     Yr.    Ht.    Avg. 
14    Antoine Mason    G    Fr.    6-3     15.4
1    Malcolm Lemmons    G    So.    6-3    8.7  
10    Juan’ya Green    G    Fr.    6-3    16.7  
12    Scotter Gillette    F     Jr.    6-8     4.8 
11    Ameen Tanksley    G    Fr.     6-6    8.2 

MAAC STANDINGS

School  Conference    Overall
Iona    11-2    19-5
Loyola (Md.)    11-2    18-5
Manhattan    10-3    17-8
Fairfield    8-4    13-10
Rider    7-6    10-15
Siena    5-8    10-13 
Niagara    4-9    9-16
Saint Peter’s    4-9    5-19
Marist    3-9     8-15
Canisius    1-12    4-19

Today’s Games

Siena at Niagara    7 p.m.
Rider at Canisius    7 p.m.
Manhattan at Fairfield     7:30 p.m.
Marist at Saint Peter’s    8:30 p.m.

Friday’s Game

Iona at Loyola (ESPNU)    7 p.m.

ALBANY - The Siena Saints are rolling.

The Saints picked up their second straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference victory, defeating Niagara 72-60, on Sunday afternoon.

OD Anosike scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, posting a school-record 11th straight double-double. 

Kyle Downey added 18 points and Evan Hymes finished with 13 for the Saints (2-3, 7-8).

Antoine Mason scored a team-high 15 points for the Purple Eagles (1-4, 6-11).

Siena pulled away at the end, taking the lead for good, when Anosike scored to put the Saints up 44-42.

Siena is off until Thursday, when the host Rider.

ALBANY - Siena started slow, very slow, but they have the lead at halftime.

The Saints opened the game shooting 1-for-7 from the field, but finished the first half strong.

The Purple Eagles jumped out to a double-digit lead, 18-8, after the first 10 minutes.

Siena had a difficult time getting good looks against Niagara zones, but eventually they starting hitting some shots.

The Saints shot just 4-for-14 from beyond the arc, but they hit some big ones, especially two by Kyle Downey, off inbounds plays.

OD Anosike is comfortably on the way to his 11th consecutive double-double, posting 12 points and seven rebounds in the first half.

Antoine Mason, son of former New York Knicks forward Anthony Mason, leads Niagara with eight points.

The fact that Siena leads, despite leading scorer Evan Hymes having just two points, is a good sign.

In case you haven't heard or seen, Siena is not showing the New York Giants NFC Wild Card game, due to an NFL decision.

J.S. Carras/The Record

Siena looks to turn one conference win into two on Sunday,

They will be playing underneath the New York Giants NFL Wild Card game, so to speak. The arena will broadcast the game on the video scoreboard, while the Siena game is going on.

The Saints starters lead the country in minutes played, but Niagara freshman Juan'ya Green plays the most minutes of any freshman, 37.1 per game.

Former New York Knicks forward Anthony Mason's son, Antoine, is the second leading scorer for the Purple Eagles. Mason is a red-shirt freshman, who had three big games last season and then was sidelined for the season, with a foot injury. 

The Saints look to be the favorite, on paper, but very little has gone true to form this season for Siena.

This is the last play of the Canisius/Niagara game.

From the Siena athletic department

ALBANY - With about seven minutes to go in the game and after a steal by Rakeem Brookins, it was Trenity Burdine who got to show his dunking ability.

Burdine said he'd been waiting to get a dunk at home and he caught the no-look pass from his fellow frosh and slammed it down with one hand.

“I've been waiting for a dunk at home and I knew it was going to happen as soon as we stole the ball,” he said.

It was a nice play between Siena's two freshmen players and they celebrated by jumping together. The play also cut Niagara's lead to 46-45 and the crowd went nuts.

“It's between us," Burdine said about the connection with Brookins. "Freshman and freshman.”

Burdine played very well on Sunday, especially with Owen Wignot injured.

Burdine played 22 minutes and finished with five points, two rebounds, a block and a steal.

The block was on the game's final play, when Anthony Nelson drove in to try to tie the game.

“I blocked that,” Burdine said. “I just saw him and my eyes opened.”

ALBANY - Wow did Siena escape with this one.

Rakeem Brookins, who shot just 2-for-16 made a big 3-pointer with 1:36 remaining to give the Saints the lead for good.

Siena (6-5, 9-12) still had to hang on after a couple of missed free throws opened the door for Niagara (1-10, 4-19).

Anthony Nelson missed a driving layup with the clock running down and the Saints prevailed.

O.D. Anosike had a huge game for Siena, scoring 15 points and grabbing a game-high 16 rebounds.

Kashief Edwards and Marvin Jordan both scored 18 points for the Purple Eagles.

The Saints are now just one game behind a three-way tie for third place in the MAAC standings.