ADRIAN, Mich. -- The Siena Heights men's basketball team rallied past Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) opponent Lawrence Tech in the final second of the game, on Saturday afternoon. Kevin Smith II (Senior, Columbus, Ohio) made a buzzer-beater half-court shot in the final second of the game to give the Saints the victory.
THE BASICS
Final Score: Siena Heights 87, Lawrence Tech 86
Location: Adrian, Michigan (SHU Fieldhouse)
Records: Siena Heights (7-11, 4-5 WHAC), Lawrence Tech (7-9, 2-7 WHAC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Blue Devils jumped out to a 5-0 lead after a jumper was good by Brandon Beavers at the 18:41 mark. The Saints tied things up at 5 after Keith Jordan Jr. (Senior, Toledo, Ohio) scored a layup and a free throw with 17:40 left on the clock. Lawrence Tech increased the lead double-digits (17-7) after they scored 12 straight points sparked by a layup by Beavers with 13:48 left of play. Siena cut the deficit to one (24-23) as Kevin Rice (Junior, Detroit, Mich.) made a layup at the 8:48 mark. The Saints tied things up at 30's after DeMarco Dickerson (Senior, Detroit, Mich.) made a layup and a free throw with 6:08 left on the clock. The Blue Devils earned some cushion as they updated the score to 50-39 after a three-point shot was made by Dewayn Allen with 1:20 remaining. Jordan updated the score to 50-42 after he made a three-point shot as both teams headed to the locker room.
Lawrence Tech had a double-digit lead (66-55) over Siena as a layup was good by Henry at the 13:45 mark. The teams traded possession during the remainder of the second half as the Saints gained momentum and the score was close. Siena had the Blue Devils in reach as they updated the margin to one point (76-75) as a layup was good by Jordan with 5:13 remaining on the clock. The Saints kept the momentum going as they took the lead (82-81) after Dickerson made a layup and a free throw was good by Jordan with 1:12 left of play. Lawrence Tech took the lead (83-82) after a pair of free throws were good by Henry with 59 seconds remaining in the game. Siena retook the lead (84-83) after a pair of free throws were good by Jordan at the 0:43 mark. The Blue Devils regained the lead after Henry scored a three-point shot with 32 seconds left on the clock. The Saints got the ball with five seconds left and Smith drained a buzzer-beater half-court three-point shot to give the Saints the 87-86 win.
TOP SAINTS
• Jordan led the Saints with 30 points, a team-high of nine rebounds, one assist, and one steal. He went 10-12 from the floor, 3-4 from beyond the arch, and 3-4 from the charity stripe.
• Rice contributed 19 points, five rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block. He went 8-10 from the floor and 3-3 on three-point attempts.
• Dickerson tallied 13 points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block. He went 6-14 from the floor.
• Smith had a team-high of five assists.
THE OPPOSITION
• Henry led the Blue Devils with 22 points, two rebounds, and a team-high of three steals. He went 8-14 from the floor, 4-9 from beyond the arch, and 2-2 from the charity stripe.
• Carter Frantz tallied 19 points, four rebounds, and one assist. He went 7-14 from the floor and 5-10 on three-point attempts.
• Gunnar Gustafson earned a double-double as he contributed 13 points and a team-high of 11 rebounds along with two assists and one block. He went 4-6 from the floor and 5-6 on free-throw attempts.
• Beavers had a team-high of nine assists and three steals.
UP NEXT
The Saints face Rochester in a road Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) matchup on Wednesday, January 15th. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 7:30 p.m., EST.
