Photo Courtesy of Mike Dickie
Posted: Jan 26, 2021
This Week's Schedule
Wednesday, January 27th | 8:00 PM
Siena Heights Saints VS Cornerstone Golden Eagles
Saturday, January 30th | 3:00 PM
Siena Heights Saints AT Concordia (MI) Cardinals
Sunday, January 31st | 3:00 PM
Siena Heights Saints AT Indiana Tech Warriors
Upcoming for Saints Men's Basketball: The Saints are fired up and ready to return to action after a very long two-month shutdown. Their first game of the New Year will be held at home, hosting Cornerstone in this conference game. Then the men will have their first road game against Concordia for the 2020-21 season this Saturday.
Head Coach: Joe Pechota enters his ninth year as the Siena Heights men's basketball coach. The Saints saw their most successful season under Pechota during the 2018-19 season when the team finished 17-13 overall and 12-8 in conference play to earn fourth in the WHAC standings, the highest finish since 2010.
Last Time Out: Siena Heights loss to Grace College 81-70 on November 10, 2020. Kevin Rice (Sr. | Detroit, Mich.) led the team with 19 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, and 1 blocked shot, recording his first double-double of the season. Grace was led by Matt Jennings with 26 points. SHU was 25-63 (39.7%) from the floor and 12-14 (85.7%) from the free-throw line. The Saints forced 15 turnovers, resulting in 18 points. The Saints had 9 steals which led them to have 13 points on the Fastbreak. The Saints benched outscored Grace 28-15.
WHAC Openers: Siena Heights begins a reduced 13 game WHAC schedule this week with games against Cornerstone, Concordia, and Indiana Tech. Head Coach Joe Pechota is 6-2 in WHAC Opening games in his career with is last loss coming in the 2015-16 season against Concordia at home.
Scouting Cornerstone: The Eagles are led in scoring by Cory Ainsworth who has scored 68 points in the team's last 5 games. Christian Rodriguez (67) and Riley Costen (64) are also right there with the leader in PPG this season. Kyle Hayes leads their team in rebounds with 27 total, with Ainsworth (26) and Consten (22) not too far behind. The Golden Eagles lead the all-time series 43-32. The Saints' record at home against the Golden Eagles is 8-14. The most recent win Siena had over Cornerstone was last season at Cornerstone on January 22nd, 2020 when the Saints drained a three-point buzzer-beater to win the game 78-75. The last time Siena won a home game against the Golden Eagles was on January 23rd, 2013 with a score of 74-66.
Scouting Concordia: The Cardinals are led in scoring by Thomas Hronis (88 total points) who avg 22.0 PPG, followed by freshman G Evan Neff (28 total points) with 14.0 PPG. Hronis has shot 22-40 from the 3pt line leaving him (55% from 3pt), his teammate Zachary Johnson has shot 8-19 from the 3pt line leaving him (42.1% from 3pt). The last time Siena was on the road at Concordia they lost 75-61 last season on November 16th, 2019. The most recent matchup between the teams was at home on January 18th, 2020 and the Saints won 75-72.
Scouting Indiana Tech: The Warriors are led in scoring by Rog Stein (242) in the team's last 16 games. Followed by Grant Smith (220) & Josh Kline (215). Stein (126), Kline (115), & Smith (103) also lead their team in total rebounds. The Warriors lead the all-time series 26-5. The Saints' record on the road against Indiana Tech is 2-15 with the latest win being 77-64 on November 19th, 2014. Siena's most recent win over the Warriors was on February 6th, 2019 at home with a score of 92-78.
Saints Leaders: One of two seniors on the 2020-21 roster, Kevin "Slim" Rice (Sr. | Detroit, Mich.) looks to be the new leader of the team, recording a double-double in Siena's first game with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
The Saints home game will stream live on the Siena Heights Sports Network on the SHU YouTube page. Coverage for this weekend's road games can be found on the schedule page on SHUsaints.com.
