ADRIAN, Mich. -- The Siena Heights men's basketball team put up a fight in the final seconds to earn their third straight victory over Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) opponent Concordia (Mich.) on Saturday afternoon. Keith Jordan Jr. (Senior, Toledo, Ohio) led the Saints as he earned a double-double with 20 points and a team-high of 11 rebounds.
THE BASICS
Final Score: Siena Heights 75, Concordia (Mich.) 72
Location: Adrian, Michigan (SHU Fieldhouse)
Records: Siena Heights (9-11, 6-5 WHAC), Concordia (Mich.) (6-14, 3-9 WHAC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
The teams traded possession during the beginning of the first half as the score remained close. The Cardinals gained a seven-point lead (18-11) after two three-point shots were good by Emmanuel Dominguez and Thomas Hronis at the 11:32 mark. Concordia continued to rally as they earned the first-double digit lead of the half (25-15) as Brenard Kasanda made a layup with 7:32 on the clock. The Saints earned some momentum as they scored seven straight points (27-22) sparked by a layup made by Jordan. The Cardinals increased the lead to seven-points (31-24) as Jerald Booker made a layup with 3:01 left to play in the first half. Siena updated the score to 35-30 after DeMarco Dickerson (Senior, Detroit, Mich,) made a layup and a pair of free throws then Kevin Smith II (Senior, Columbus, Ohio) made a jumper as the game went into intermission.
Concordia jumped out to a 44-33 lead after a layup was good by Kasanda. The Cardinals maintained a double-digit lead over the Saints for the majority of the second half with the biggest lead of 14-points (55-41) as Jordan Winowiecki made a three-pointer at the 12:15 mark. The Saints cut the lead to eight-points (59-51) after Smith drained a three-point shot and PJ Austin (Senior, Cleveland, Ohio) made a pair of free throws with 8:04 left on the clock. Siena held the Cardinals to a single-digit lead the remainder of the second half as they rallied to tie the game at '70s as Jordan made a pair of free throws. The Saints took the lead (74-72) after a layup was good by Dickerson with 30 seconds left of play. Dickerson got fouled and made a free throw to increase the lead to 75-72 with three seconds left to play in the game. The final push for Concordia came up short to give Siena the victory.
TOP SAINTS
• Jordan went 6-12 from the floor and 8-8 from the charity stripe. He also earned two assists and blocks.
• Dickerson tallied 21 points, five rebounds, a team-high of four assists, one steal and block. He went 8-12 from the floor, 2-3 from beyond the arc, and 3-4 on free-throw attempts.
• Smith contributed 10 points, one rebound, one assist, and one block. He went 4-7 from the floor and 2-2 on three-point attempts.
• Kevin Rice (Junior, Detroit, Mich.) had a team-high of four blocks.
THE OPPOSITION
• Winowiecki led the Cardinals with 15 points, one rebound, and two assists. He went 5-10 from the floor, 4-8 from beyond the arch, and 1-2 from the charity stripe.
• Kasanda tallied 12 points, a team-high of seven rebounds and four assists, and two steals. He went 5-8 from the floor and 2-2 on three-point attempts.
• Greg Alexander contributed 10 points, three rebounds, three assists, one steal, and a team-high of two blocks. He went 4-9 from the floor and 2-3 on free-throw attempts.
• Jerald Booker had a team-high of three steals.
UP NEXT
The Saints face Cornerstone in a road Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) matchup on Wednesday, January 22nd. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 7:30 p.m., EST.
