Pickett just grand in win, gets hurt

Siena guard scores 1,000th point, but leaves late with injury

Siena point guard Jalen Pickett made a 3-pointer on the fast break less than five minutes into Saturday’s game to add another accomplishment to his sparkling resume.

He’d just scored his 1,000th point only three games into his junior season and 65 games into his career, making him the eighth-fastest Saint to reach the milestone.

But Pickett wasn’t available to discuss the achievement after a convincing 74-58 victory over Fairfield at Alumni

Hall — Siena’s 13th straight victory dating to last season.

He left the game with an injury to his right leg with 2:02 left.

Pickett went down with a non-contact injury while running back down the court on defense. Trainer Greg Dashnaw felt the back of Pickett’s leg near the knee. After about a minute, Pickett got up and walked to the bench slowly under his own power.

He didn’t return to the game and limped off the court slowly after the final buzzer.

“He’s getting treatment

now,” Siena coach Carmen Maciariello said in a

Zoom call after the game. “I’ll know something later tonight ... I don’t think it’s anything major, but we’ll see. We’ll have guys get recovery and see them in the morning.”

Siena (3-0 overall, 3-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) plays Fairfield again at 4 p.m. Sunday.

It was left to Maciariello to again put Pickett’s excellence into words. Pickett is the reigning MAAC Player of the Year and is the preseason coaches’ pick to earn the honor again. He finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists in 37 minutes.

“He’s a special player and he’s a joy to coach,” Maciariello said. “Just excited he plays for us.”

Junior forward Jackson Stormo, a transfer from Pepperdine, is learning how good Pickett is after just three games with the Saints.

“I’ve learned to just always keep my hands ready, a pass to come at any point,” Stormo said. “He’s an amazing player and he’s really a student of the game. I’ve really enjoyed playing with him for three games and I can’t wait to play with him for a lot more.”

The Saints also have reason to be excited about Stormo, who finished with 15 points. He made all seven of his field-goal attempts and grabbed five rebounds. He again formed an effective bigman tandem with Kyle Young, who started and had 11 points and four rebounds.

“It’s all just about doing whatever you can to help the team in the time you’re in there,” Stormo said. “Whether it’s three (minutes), 10, whatever it may be. And quick bursts means you can play as hard as you can for those few minutes. Try to go in there with high energy, do what you’re supposed to do and play hard.”

Siena raced out to a 34-16 lead on a Pickett jumper with 4:16 to play in the first half. The

Saints stifled the Stags, who entered the game last in the MAAC by averaging 60 points per game.

Siena was more than prepared for Fairfield, even though this matchup wasn’t set until Wednesday. The Saints were supposed to play Canisius, but the Golden Griffins had to go on pause because of a positive COVID-19 test.

“Our job is to get these guys ready and I thought they did a great job,” Maciariello said. “We want to do this thing with defense. We were able to hold them to 58 points. We had some untimely turnovers, guys leaving their feet to pass ... I thought we did a better job on the glass in the second half.”

The Saints had a 36-28 rebounding advantage.

Fairfield pulled to within 48-43 on Supreme Cook’s layup with 14:05 to play. But Siena graduate guard Nick Hopkins answered with a 3-pointer coming out of a timeout and the Stags never got that close again.

Siena freshman guard Aidan Carpenter made his college debut after missing the first two games with a minor injury. He had seven points and four fouls in 18 minutes.

“I think Aidan’s learning,” Maciariello said. “I thought defensively, he showed he can guard. He got some ticky-tack fouls where he was reaching down, but I thought we could see his quickness.”