One Moore Time!! Top seeded Siena faces #2 Fairfield
tonight, Monday, March 8 at 7 pm for the Men’s MAAC championship. Put on your green and gold and cheer on our
Saints!
The game will be nationally televised on ESPN2.
GO SAINTS!!
One Moore Time
March 7, 2010
Ronald Moore
scored 15 points and dished out 10 assists as Siena rallied from a halftime
deficit for the second straight night to post a stirring 72-62 MAAC semifinal
win over Rider Sunday at Times Union Center. The top-seeded Saints advance to
the MAAC title game to face the #2 seed Fairfield here tomorrow night at 7 p.m.
It's the fourth straight season
Siena has played for the MAAC Championship. The Saints won the title here at
Times Union Center each of the last two years.
Siena out-scored Rider 44-32 in the
second half, including a decisive 16-0 run that turned a four point deficit
into a comfortable 60-48 lead with 7:28 remaining. The biggest shot in the
spurt was a 3-pointer from the left corner from Moore that brought the partisan
crowd to its feet. The senior point guard made both his tries from distance
after missing 37 of the previous 42 he attempted entering the game.
The Saints struggled mightily on
offense in the first half, making just 32% (9-28) of their field goals, and the
Broncs took advantage, using a 7-0 run to build a 23-20 lead with 5:21 left.
Rider dominated the glass in the
first half (26-18) and senior First Team All-MAAC selection Ryan Thompson
scored 15 of his 21 points before the break. Novar Gadson (10) and Mike
Ringgold (9) combined for 19 first half rebounds. Ringgold ended with 20 points
and 14 rebounds in a losing effort.
The Saints rebounded in the second
half.
Ryan Rossiter
finished with 10 points and 18 boards for his 20th double-double of the season.
The 18 boards tied a career-high. Teammate
Alex Franklin
finished with 18 points and corralled six of his eight boards after
intermission.
But Siena's frontline played second
fiddle to Moore who moved within one assist of Jared Jordan's MAAC career
record (813) which ranks 25th all-time in Division I.
Moore decision making helped Siena shoot 52% from the field in the second half.
Junior
Clarence Jackson also
solved Rider's 2-3 zone late. Jackson made 3-5 3-pointers in the second half
after misfiring on his only try in the first.
The victory pushed Siena's home
court win streak to 37 games. A 38th consecutive win tomorrow would give the
Saints their third straight NCAA Tournament berth and sixth in program history.