LIMA, OHIO – Three Saints scored double-digit points as the Siena Heights men's basketball team (8-20, 5-15 WHAC) finished the regular season with a 74-65 win over UNOH on Saturday afternoon.
Curtis Bell III scored a game-high 26 points on 8-12 shooting from the floor. Bell III also hauled in 14 rebounds to complete his third-straight double-double and sixth one of the season. Jayden Sims was a perfect 6-6 from the free-throw line as he recorded 16 points in the contest. Sims made three steals and two rebounds in the winning effort. Kevin Rice was the third Saint to tally double-digit points with 14. Rice had an active day on defense as he left today's game with three blocks and two steals.
There were a total of seven ties and 13 lead changes in a game that remained competitive throughout the entire 40 minutes of regulation. UNOH made the game's first basket in the opening 31 seconds with a layup. Bell III snatched the lead for SHU with a three-point shot that the Racers eliminated with a layup for a 4-3 advantage. The lead was extended to 6-3 with another layup before Rice made his two free throw attempts to cut the score to 6-5. A three-point jumper by UNOH gave the team its largest lead of the game at 9-5 with 15:20 left in the first half. Neither team could find a way to pull ahead as the teams traded leads up to a tie at 18 with 7:14 left on the clock. Luis Young hit a three to take a 21-20 lead. The basket also ignited a 9-0 run that gave SHU a 27-20 lead with just over four minutes left before the half. UNOH cut things to a three-point margin, but the Saints held on for a 31-27 lead as the teams entered the locker room.
Siena Heights held on to the lead for the first eight minutes of the second half until a 7-0 run followed by a three-point jumper tied the score at 48 with 11:23 left in regulation. A jump shot by the Racers gave them the first lead since the 6:36 mark of the first half. Four-straight from the Saints flipped the lead to 52-50 before a 6-0 run by UNOH switched the lead again to the other side with 7:14 on the clock. Five-consecutive points by Siena gave the Saints a 59-57 lead, but two free throws from the Racers tied the score again. The teams traded baskets again before Rice hit two free throws to earn a 63-61 lead with 2:31 left. Two more free throws by Sims extended the lead to 65-61 that forced a Racer timeout. Bell III hit a three-point shot out of the timeout that extended the lead to seven points. A quick layup by UNOH inched things closer, but the lack of time forced the Racers to foul, and SHU cashed in on the free throws to seal the win.
SEASON WRAP-UP
The 2021-22 season ends for the men's basketball team on a winning note with the victory over UNOH. The Saints finish with an overall record of 8-20 and a 5-15 mark in conference play. The five wins for SHU are good enough to put the team in ninth place in the league standings.
