The Siena men's basketball team picked up its first victory of the season on Tuesday evening, defeating St. Bonaventure, 72-70.

Here is a link to the game story, which focuses on the game-winning shot from freshman Marquis Wright (which can be viewed a few posts previous to this). The win gives the Saints the Franciscan Cup for the first time in four years against their rival.

Here's a link to a photo gallery from the game, shot by photographer J.S. Carras.

J.S. Carras - The Record

ALBANY - When Jimmy Patsos first met Brett Bisping, he learned two things about the sophomore forward.

Jeff Couch/The Record

The Illinois native liked the Chicago Bulls and his favorite player was Michael Jordan.

That was funny to Patsos because, as a 6-foot-8 post player, Bisping and Jordan have nothing in common. (In Bisping's defense, Jordan was my favorite player growing up and we have even less in common than he and Bisping do)

Patsos suggested that Bisping look up former Detroit Pistons big man Bill Laimbeer and play a little like him.

Over the past two games, Bisping hasn't become a bad boy like Laimbeer was known for being in the NBA, but he has been playing very solid, especially in Siena's 72-70 victory over St. Bonaventure on Tuesday.

“I thought his play was inspirational," said Patsos.

Bisping finished with a career-high 13 points (on 4-for-7 shooting) and seven rebounds in the victory over the Bonnies. 

Asked if it was the best performance of his career, Bisping replied, “Yes. But that’s not what’s important.” 

Bisping has averaged 8.5 points and 5.5 rebounds over the past two games, as he's seen more action and seemed more comfortable. 

“Jimmy continues to push me no matter how I play," he said. “He always gives you a second chance to come in and try to play better. I’m just going to try to keep doing my job and help the team as much as I can, in any way.”

Patsos said when his mentor, former Maryland coach Gary Williams, stopped by practice a few weeks back, he liked what Bisping brought to the table.  

Bisping knows that his role on this team is to rebound, screen and do some of the dirty work. On Tuesday, with Javion Ogunyemi suffering an ankle injury and both Imoh Silas and Lavon Long fouling out in the second half, Bisping knew he could step in.

“I had to step up tonight," he said.

That's just what he did.

Here is the game-winning shot from Siena freshman Marquis Wright, which propelled the Saints to a 72-70 victory over St. Bonaventure.

Courtesy Siena Athletic Department

ALBANY - The Siena men's basketball team picked up its first victory of the season, in pretty improbable fashion on Tuesday evening.

The Saints downed St. Bonaventure, 72-70, to win the Franciscan Cup, and give Jimmy Patsos his first victory at Siena head coach.

What it means: The Saints get their first victory of the year and finally got over the hump, after letting a second-half lead slip away at La Salle. The victory is also the first win over St. Bonaventure since the 1998-99 season, and Siena is now 34-68 all-time against Atlantic-10 opponents (7-28 vs. the Bonnies)

The Wright stuff: Marquis Wright didn't score many points, but he got the biggest basket of the game, a running, baking layup, with 0.2 seconds to play. Wright played 37 minutes and had seven assists and five rebounds to go along with his seven points.

Player of the Game: Brett Bisping played tremendous for the Saints. In 28 minutes off the bench, Bisping finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and one block. He was 4-for-7 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.

Play of the Game: Clearly Wright's basket was the biggest play of the game. He hit a difficult bank-shot, over Andell Cumberbatch, to send his team home victorious. Not to be outdone was a Bisping 3-pointer, with 3:31 remaining that put Siena up 70-68 and the Saints never trailed again, even though there were two ties.

Injury Update: It was a short night for Troy High grad Javion Ogunyemi, who went down in the first four minutes with an is initially being diagnosed as just an ankle sprain. It looked much worse (althought I'm not doctor). Ogunyemi, who had a season-ending injury to his right ankle during his junior year of high school, is scheduled for a MRI in the morning.

Coming Up: The Saints don't have much time to sit on this, as they hit the road for a Friday game at Cornell. Coach Patsos mentioned it in the postgame, but now he will be expecting a little more out of his bunch, which pushed one A-10 team to the wire on the road and now has beaten one at home. 

ALBANY - Marquis Wright drove the lane and finished strong, giving Siena its first victory under coach Jimmy Patsos and stake to the Franciscan Cup.

Wright's bank layup, just before the buzzer, finished an improbable game in which two players fouled out and another went down with an injury.

Still, the Saints got over the top, beating previously undefeated St. Bonaventure, 72-70, on Tuesday evening.

Lavon Long scored a team-high 15 points and Brett Bisping added 13 off the bench.

The Bonnies were led by Youssou Ndoye, who led four players in double figures, with 16 points.

ALBANY - Siena played its best half of the season in the first half on Tuesday evening.

Even with freshman Javion Ogunyemi going down with what was reported as an ankle injury and junior Rob Poole being held scoreless, the Saints lead St. Bonaventure 48-38 at the half.

Siena shot 47 percent (16-34) from the field, getting great play from Brett Bisping (8 pts, 5 reb) and Imoh Silas (6 pts, 4 reb) off the bench.

The Bonnies were led by Youssou Ndoye, who scored 11 points in the first 20 minutes.

The Saints have never claimed the Franciscan Cup in three previous years and are looking to do so here tonight.

ALBANY - The Siena men's basketball team is young and doesn't have much depth.

The one thing the Saints could ill-afford was a major injury.

Just four minutes into the first half of the game against St. Bonaventure on Tuesday, Troy High graduate Javion Ogunyemi went down on an attempted alley-oop from Evan Hymes. Ogunyemi went up for a layup, catching a pass from Hymes, when he was landed on by Bonnies big man Youssou Ndoye.

Ogunyemi couldn't put any weight on his right leg, as he was helped from the court and it didn't look good.

Ogunyemi had his junior season at Troy High ended, when he injured his left ankle, in a postseason game.

(Update: Ogunyemi suffered a right ankle injury and will not return)

OLEAN — The Siena offense has been tough to watch this season.

On Tuesday evening, the offensive woes went to a whole new level.

The Saints scored just five points in the final 12:22, as St. Bonaventure posted a 58-43 victory at the Reilly Center, on Siena coach Mitch Buonaguro’s 59th birthday.

St. Bonaventure (5-2) keeps possession of the Franciscan Cup, which they have now won in the
first three years. The previous two meetings were won by the Bonnies by only a combined nine points and the team are scheduled to meet next season in Albany. 

Siena (2-7) has still never won at the Reilly Center and have not defeated St. Bonaventure since 1998-99 season.

The Saints have now lost five straight games and the 43 points are the lowest in a game since a 61-40 loss to Manhattan, during the 1995-96 season.

The Saints scored 44 points twice last year, in losses at Georgia Tech and Saint Peter’s. The last five-game losing streak came last season, from Nov. 21-Dec. 3, and included a loss to St. Bonaventure and their first two Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference games.

Siena shot just 17-for-52 (33%) from the field, 4-for-15 (27%) from beyond the arc and only scored three points in the game’s final eight minutes.

The Bonnies held a 41-38 lead with 12:22 to play, but scored 17 of the game’s final 23 points.

The only Saints player who had a solid game was sophomore Trenity Burdine, who finished with a career-high 16 points.

Siena committed 17 turnovers, 13 of which came on the first half. The Saints were averaging 15 turnovers per game and now have committed 35 turnovers in their past two games.

St. Bonaventure cashed in on a big turnover, as Charlon Kloof collected a pass from Demetruis Conger and slammed it home to put the Bonnies up 43-38.

Matt Wright put the game away, with a three-point play that put St. Bonaventure up 48-40. 

Conger led the Bonnies with 14 points, while Marquise Simmons added 12 points.

Siena senior O.D. Anosike had his second straight game without a double-double, finishing with seven points and game-high 14 rebounds.

J.S. Carras/The Record

The Siena men's basketball team is getting any help from the schedule makers.

The Saints, who have lost four in a row, take on the Bonnies this evening, in Olean.

It is Siena coach Mitch Buonaguro's 59th birthday and the game is on national television, on NBC Sports Network. The game is a 9 p.m. tip.

Here is a link to my game preview. The game is the third in a four-game series and is for the Franciscan Cup, which has been won the past two years by St. Bonaventure.

Also, to add insult to injury, Yahoo! Sports writer Jeff Eisenberg has Siena as one of his early season disappointments.

The Siena men's basketball team will participate in the 2013 Old Spice Classic.

The games, held Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 28-Dec. 1), are at the HP Field House at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla.

In addition to the Saints, the 8-team field includes Butler, LSU, Memphis, Oklahoma State, Purdue, Saint Joseph's and Washington State.

The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference will serve as the event's sponsoring conference for the eighth straight year. 

Siena last competed in the Old Spice in 2008. The Saints lost to Tennessee, Wichita State and Oklahoma State, but did go on to win their second straight MAAC title and trip to the NCAA tournament.

Also announced over the Thanksgiving holiday is that the Siena game against St. Bonaventure, on Tuesday, Dec. 4, will be televised nationally on NBC Sports Network.  The game time has also been moved and now will be a 9 p.m. tip from the Reilly Center, in Olean.

The game is a battle for the Franciscan Cup, which the Bonnies hold possession of.

Here is video reaction from Monday's 64-58 St. Bonaventure victory over Siena.

Below is Siena coach Mitch Buonaguro talking about the game.



Below is senior center Brandon Walters.

ALBANY - Siena put up a terrific effort, but in the end, St. Bonaventure was too much, on Monday evening.

Eric Mosley scored a team-high 17 points, while Andrew Nicholson added 14 points and 12 rebounds, in a 64-58 Bonnies victory.

St. Bonaventure (2-1) took the lead for good, with a 10-1 run to close the first half, which was the Bonnies first lead of the game.

Evan Hymes scored a game-high 18 points, giving him 58 points in his first three collegiate games.

Brandon Walters added 12 points and eight rebounds, while O.D. Anosike finished with four points and 10 rebounds.

The Saints (2-1) hung right with a talented Atlantic-10 team, so there are definitely a lot of positives.

With the lack of depth and young team, it will be a test for Siena to turn around and play an ACC team, Georgia Tech, on Wednesday, in Atlanta.

ALBANY - This Evan Hymes kid is no joke.

If you thought, the 30-point performance against Mount St. Mary's wasn't for real, Hymes came out and showed again that he's a capable scoring machine.

Hymes has 14 points for Siena, but St. Bonaventure end the half with a big run to take the lead into intermission.

The Saints' biggest lead in the first half was eight, but the Bonnies ended the half on an 10-1 run.

Andrew Nicholson has six points for St. Bonaventure, but he picked up his second foul with 4:44 to play in the first half and went to the bench.

O.D. Anosike is still have trouble getting started offensively. He was held scoreless in the first half.

The Siena Saints look to start the year off 3-0, for the first time since the 2002-03 season, tonight when they take on the Bonnies, from the Atlantic-10.

I found it hard to believe that Siena didn't start a season 3-0, when they had their incredible run of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference titles and NCAA tournament success, but here are the Saints' record for the first three games, dating back to '02-03.

2010-11 - 1-2
2009-10 - 2-1 (NCAA tournament & MAAC champs)
2008-09 - 2-1 (NCAA tournament & MAAC champs)
2007-08 - 1-2 (NCAA tournament & MAAC champs)
2006-07 - 1-2
2005-06 - 1-2
2004-05 - 0-3
2003-04 - 2-1
2002-03 - 3-0

That means that coach Mitch Buonaguro has a chance to do something tonight that Fran McCaffery didn't do in his time in Loudonville.

The Saints are also the only undefeated MAAC team remaining -- again it's real early, but that's a step in the right direction.

Siena is coming off of a victory at Mount St. Mary's in which freshman point guard Evan Hymes scored a career-high 30 points, becoming the first Saints freshman to score 30, since Jack McClinton did so, in 2005. Incredibly, Hymes, who is only starting because of the injury to Rakeem Brookins, is averaging 20.0 points per game through his first two collegiate games.

While the first two wins were nice and I'm sure provided a huge boost of confidence for the team, this is the Saints' first real test of the season.

St. Bonaventure sports one of the best big men in the country, in 6-foot-8 Andrew Nicholson.

Here is a link to a ESPN feature from last year, on Nicholson (right), who is a Naismith Watch List and Wooden Award candidate.

Nicholson will be a tough task for O.D. Anosike and Brandon Walters, but it should help that they can switch between two big men.

If Siena wins tonight, watch out.

OLEAN — The Siena Saints got a number of good individual efforts on Tuesday evening, but it didn’t add up to a victory.

The Saints got career nights from junior Kyle Downey, sophomore Jonathan Breeden and freshman Rakeem Brookins, but it wasn’t enough to top St. Bonaventure.

The Bonnies got a game-high 26 points from Andrew Nicholson to defeat Siena 82-79 and capture the Franciscan Cup, at the Reilly Center.

The Saints (4-7) played their second straight game without senior guard Clarence Jackson, who is out with an ankle injury.

In Jackson’s absence, Downey, Breeden, Brookins and Owen Wignot all scored in double figures
for Siena.

The Saints actually held a nine-point lead with 10:26 remaining, when Downey made a layup to finish a off an 8-0 run.

Downey finished with a career-high 21 points and pumped his fist after one of his trio of treys gave Siena a three-point lead in the second half.

Brookins finished with a career-high 18 points, but he missed the final few minutes of the game
because he was cramping up, something that persisted throughout a majority of the second half.

Siena’s freshman guard still had seven assists, shot 7-for-12 from the field and finished with just one turnover in 23 minutes.

The Bonnies (7-4) got big nights from Michael Davenport, who finished with 20 points and Ogo Adegboye, who chipped in 18.

Davenport gave St. Bonaventure the lead for good, with his layup with just fewer than five minutes remaining.

That basket put the Bonnies on an 8-0 run that saw both Davenport and Adegboye hit big 3-pointers.

Siena big man Ryan Rossiter had one of his worst nights of the season, finishing with just four points on 2-for-5 shooting from the field.

He did finish with a game-high 10 rebounds.

The Saints cut the lead to four very late on a reverse layup by Downey and then Breeden hit two 3-pointers to make it a one possession game, but time ran out.

Siena also lost the services of junior Kyle Griffin, who seemed to reaggravate a shoulder injury late in the first half.

The Saints stay on the road to finish off the calendar year with a game on New Year’s Eve against another Atlantic-10 foe, St. Joseph’s, at 4 p.m.