ADRIAN, Mich. -- Over 200 third, fourth, and fifth graders from area elementary schools came to the SHU Fieldhouse and watched the Siena Heights men's basketball team roll past Akron-Wayne 108-71 on Monday morning. Kevin Rice (Detroit, Mich.) led the Saints to the win with a double-double in points (12) and rebounds (11). The win marks the 200th win in head coach Joe Pechota's career.
THE BASICS
Final Score: Siena Heights 108, Akron-Wayne 71
Location: Adrian, Michigan (SHU Fieldhouse)
Records: Siena Heights (6-8), Akron-Wayne (3-8)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Siena Heights jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead in the opening three minutes of the contest and never looked back. The lead grew to 27-points, 54-27, by the conclusion of the first half. Keith Jordan Jr. (Toledo, Mich.) led the Saints in the first half with 17 points on 8-11 shooting from the floor. DeMarco Dickerson (Detroit, Mich.) scored 12 points on 5-11 shooting. He was 1-2 from three and 1-1 from the free-throw line in the first half. Jon Hovermale (Livonia, Mich.) added 10 points in the second half on 4-5 shooting and 2-3 from beyond the arc. Daryl Johnson Jr. (Solon, Ohio) scored nine of his 11 points in the final half of regulation.
The Saints outscored the Warriors 64-28 in the paint, 24-12 in second-chance points, 13-0 on the fastbreak, and 51-23 in bench points. SHU shot 55% for the game while Akron-Wayne shot only 38.9%. The Warriors did edge the Saints 19-11 in points off turnovers as both teams gave away 12 possessions during the contest. The largest lead for Siena was 39 points (108-69) with 26 seconds remaining in the game.
TOP SAINTS
• Rice finished 5-8 from the floor and 2-2 from the charity stripe. He tied for a game-high two blocks.
• Jordan Jr. led the Saints in scoring with a game-high 19 points. He also had two blocks and hauled in four rebounds with an assist and a steal to his credit.
• Dickerson added four rebounds and four assists to his 12-point performance.
• Johnson Jr. finished with 11 points, Hovermale and Chad Elliott (Brookpark, Ohio) finished with 10 points.
• Kevin Smith II (Columbus, Ohio) had a game-high five assists while scoring four points, two blocks, and a steal.
THE OPPOSITION
• R. Shropshire led the Warriors with 14 points on 5-10 shooting.
• DeJuan Lawrence had a team-high seven rebounds and two steals.
• Ted King led Akron-Wayne with two assists.
UP NEXT
The Saints will host the defending National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) champion, Spring Arbor two weeks from today (December 30) at 5:00 p.m., EST.
