ADRIAN, Mich. -- The Siena Heights men's basketball team (0-1) began the season suffering an 81-70 loss against Grace College on Tuesday night. Kevin Rice (Sr. | Detroit, Mich.) led the Saints as he earned a double-double on the night with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
THE BASICS
Final Score: Grace College 81, Siena Heights 70
Location: Adrian, Michigan (SHU Fieldhouse)
Records: Grace College (3-0), Siena Heights (0-1)
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lancers jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the first three minutes of the game sparked by a layup by Cade Gibbs. The Saints chipped away ad they cut the deficit to seven points off a pair of free throws from Rice at the 14:45 mark. Grace would regain a double-digit lead (22-10) as Matt Jennings made a layup. SHU gained momentum as they earned the closest of margins only down by four points (28-24) after Jace Norton (So. | Portland, Oregon) drained a three-point shot with 8:45 left in the first half. The Lancers pulled away with a six-point lead (34-28) as a jumper was good by Frankie Davidson. Siena regained the lead (39-38) as they scored eight straight points off of a layup by Rice, a three-pointer by Norton, and a three-pointer by Joshua Moody (So. | Detroit, Mich.) to push the game into intermission.
The beginning of the second half was back and forth as both teams exchanged possessions. The Saints rallied as they earned an eight-point lead (56-48) as Jordan Wyckoff (R-Sr. | Detroit, Mich.) made a pair of free throws at the 13:26 mark. Grace re-took the lead (59-58) as C. Gibbs drained a three-point shot with 9:15 left in the game. The Lancers earned a cushion as they scored nine straight points sparked by Jennings making three free-throws and Haden Deaton making a layup for the 72-60 lead. SHU pushed to keep the game within reach as Elijah Kimmons (Fr. | Madison, Wisconsin) made a three-pointer to keep the score to single digits but it wasn't enough as Grace pulled away and was able to earn the 81-70 win.
TOP SAINTS
• Rice hauled in two assists and one block in addition to his double-double. He went 7-18 from the floor and 5-6 from the charity stripe.
• Norton went 4-6 on shooting scoring 13 points in his career debut with the Saints. He went 4-6 beyond the arch and 1-2 from the free-throw line while hauling in three rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
• Moody scored nine points. He went 3-6 from the floor, 1-2 on three-pointers, and 2-2 from the charity stripe.
SAINT DEBUTS
• Wright scored six points and hauled in one rebound in his debut in a Saint uniform.
• Armstrong scored eight points and tallied four rebounds, one assist, and three steals in his first collegiate action for the Saints.
• Cole saw 11 minutes of action in the game in his debut for SHU.
• Williamson saw 13 minutes of action while earning one assist and steal to start his career.
• Kimmons scored nine points and played in 15 minutes of the game.
• Delmotte saw five minutes of action in his debut for Siena.
THE OPPOSITION
• Jennings led the team in points with 26 on 10-14 shooting. He made 6-8 from the charity stripe while hauling in six rebounds, and four assists.
• Gibbs went 5-7 on shooting scoring 16 points. He went 5-6 from the free-throw line while tallying three rebounds, one assist, and two steals.
• Davidson earned himself a double-double on the game as he scored 11 points and recorded 11 rebounds. He earned three assists, one steal, and one block.
UP NEXT
The Saints will travel to face cross-town rival Adrian College on Tuesday, November 24th at 7:00 p.m., EST.
