Southfield, Mich.. – Siena Heights University played at Lawrence Tech Saturday night in the Don Ridler Field House in Southfield, Michigan. The close game saw 71 rebounds and 70 points from the paint. The two teams gave all they had from below the basket, with a final score of 73-69
The Saints saw double digits from three players. Kevin Rice leading the way with 18 points, nine rebounds, and two steals. Following closely behind with 17 points was Kiewuan Graham, who also added four rebounds, three assists, and one block. The third double-digit score holder was Curtis Bell III with 12 points shooting 3-4 from the floor. Bell also added a total of nine rebounds and five blocks to the Saints stats.
The first four minutes of the game saw both teams trading baskets back and forth. Until both Lawrence Tech and SHU saw a four-minute drought leaving the score 7-6 in the Saints favor. The drought was snapped first by the Blue Devils, Alek Ivanovic with a layup, followed closely by a three-pointer from the Saint's own Kiewuan Graham. Although it wasn't long before the teams kicked up their defenses starting another point drought, this one only lasted two minutes. Scoring the rest of the half was few and far between thanks in part to the defensive plays from both Siena Heights and Lawrence Tech.
A slow start to the second half saw mostly layups and free throws early on. With every shot resulting in a defensive rebound, it wasn't until Max Moratinos jumpstarted a nice run for the Saints. Going up five points in three minutes, SHU looked to be gaining some momentum offensively while maintaining a strong defense against the Blue Devils. The Blue and Yellow saw another good run of nine points to bring the score within one from LTU. Kevin Rice put up 17 of his 18 points in the second half for a push towards a Saints victory. Although, with a few fouls around the two-minute mark, Lawrence Tech put a two-basket difference between them and Siena Heights. A difference SHU couldn't overcome in the final minutes, leading to the final score of 71-69 in favor of the Blue Devils.
Up Next – Siena Heights Men's Basketball host the Madonna Crusaders at home in the Fieldhouse Wednesday, January 19 at 8:00 PM
