RIO GRANDE, Ohio. -- The Siena Heights men's basketball team earned a victory over Ohio Christian in their first game of the Rio Grande Classic, on Friday night. DeMarco Dickerson (Senior, Detroit, Mich.) led the Saints with 16 points and seven rebounds.

THE BASICS

Final Score: Siena Heights 78, Ohio Christian 68

Location: Rio Grande, Ohio (Newt Oliver Arena)

Records: Siena Heights (3-4), Ohio Christian (2-7)

HOW IT HAPPENED

The teams traded possession throughout the first half as the score remained close. The Saints took their biggest lead in the first half of five-points (14-9) at the 12:29 mark after a layup was made by Anthony Duncan (Freshman, Kissimmee, Fla.). SHU continued to rally as they tied the game up at 36's after a layup was made by Kevin Rice (Junior, Detroit, Mich.) with 47 second remaining in the first half. The Trailblazers answered back as they tied the game at 38's after a pair of free throws were made by David Froedge with seven seconds left. Daryl Johnson Jr. (Senior, Solon, Ohio) made a buzzer beater shot to give the Saints the 40-38 lead as both teams headed to the locker room.

SHU built a double-digit lead (52-42) with 15:31 left to play in the game after a pair of free throws were made by Jon Hovermale (Senior, Livonia, Mich.). The remainder of the second half resulted in each team continuing to have lead trade-offs. The Saints built a cushion as they gained a 13-point lead (57-44) after a three-point shot was made by PJ Austin (Senior, Cleveland, Ohio) at the 12:56 mark. Ohio Christian rallied to cut the deficit to six (69-63) with 2:51 left on the clock after Teron Pittman made a three-point shot. The final push for the Trailblazers came up short and the Saints walked away with the 78-68 victory. 

TOP SAINTS

• Dickerson shot 8-13 from the floor, had three assists, and three steals.

• Rice had 12, had two rebounds, two assists, and two blocks.

• Dan Everhart (Sophomore, Macomb, Mich.) had 10 points, two rebounds, four assists, and one steal.

THE OPPOSITION

• Justin Barksdale led the Trailblazers with 21 points, five rebounds, and two assists.

• Raybon Lewis had 12 points and two assists.

• David Froedge had nine points,two rebound, two assists, and two steals.

UP NEXT

The Saints face Rio Grande on Saturday, November 23rd for their second game of the Rio Grande Classic. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 4:00 p.m., EST.