ROCHESTER, Mich. -- The Siena Heights men's basketball team snuck past Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) opponent Rochester, on Wednesday night. Keith Jordan Jr. (Senior, Toledo, Ohio) led the Saints as he earned a double-double with 24 points and a team-high of 10 rebounds.
THE BASICS
Final Score: Siena Heights 77, Rochester 75
Location: Rochester, Michigan (Garth Pleasant Arena)
Records: Siena Heights (8-11, 5-5 WHAC), Rochester (12-6, 5-4 WHAC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Warriors jumped out to an 11-6 lead sparked by a jump shot made by Armand Cartwright. Rochester continued the momentum as they earned their first double-digit lead of the game (19-8) after a three-pointer was good from Cap Wilson at the 13:36 mark. The Saints cut the deficit to eight points (22-14) after Anthony Duncan (Freshman, Kissimmee, Fla.) made a jump shot with 11:44 left on the clock. The Warriors maintained a double-digit lead over Siena for the remainder of the first half with the biggest lead of 17 points (39-22) as Andrew Kline made a three-point shot with 4:51 left in the half. The Saints cut the margin to 12-points (44-32) after Chad Elliott (Sophomore, Brookpark, Ohio) made a pair of free throws leading into the intermission.
Rochester continued to maintain a double-digit lead over Siena at the beginning of the second half. Jordan made a layup to cut the lead to nine points (54-45) at the 13:08 mark. The Saints rallied as DeMarco Dickerson (Senior, Detroit, Mich.) drained a three-point shot to update the score to 59-54. The teams traded possession during the remainder of the second half as the score was close. Siena updated the score to the closest of margins the entire games (72-73) as he made a jump shot with 3:05 on the clock. The Saints took their first lead of the game (74-73) after Jordan made a pair of free throws. The Warriors answered back as Noah Holly made a dunk with 2:00 left in the game to give them the one-point lead (75-74). Dickerson drained a three-point shot (77-75) with 28 seconds left and earned the victory as the final push for Rochester came up short.
TOP SAINTS
• Jordan contributed one assist and a team-high of three steals. He went 9-14 from the floor, and 5-6 from the charity stripe.
• Dickerson tallied 20 points, nine rebounds, a team-high of four assists and three blocks. He went 8-18 from the floor, 1-2 from beyond the arch, and 3-4 on free-throw attempts.
• PJ Austin (Senior, Cleveland, Ohio) contributed 11 points and one rebound. He went 4-4 from the floor and 3-3 on three-point attempts.
THE OPPOSITION
• Wilson led the Warriors with 19 points, five rebounds, and one assist. He went 6-9 from the floor, 3-5 from beyond the arc, and 4-6 on free-throw attempts.
• Cartwright tallied 13 points, three assists, and one steal. He went 5-13 from the floor and 3-7 on three-point attempts.
• Andre Johnson contributed 10 points, one rebound, two assists, and one steal. He went 4-9 from the floor and 2-4 from beyond the arc.
• Holly and Peter Agba tied for a team-high of eight rebounds. Holly also had a team-high of three steals. Bralin Toney had a team-high of five assists and three steals
UP NEXT
The Saints return home to face Concordia in a Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) matchup on Saturday, January 18th. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 3:00 p.m., EST.
