Looking to shake struggles
Saints shot poorly, were badly outrebounded in home loss on Friday
The Siena men’s basketball team couldn’t score or rebound in a home loss to Marist on Friday.
If those struggles continue Sunday, the Saints will be in serious trouble against Saint Peter’s, the best defensive and top rebounding team in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
But Saints head coach Carmen Maciariello expressed confidence after the 62-53 loss to the Red Foxes his team won’t let that setback affect his team against the Peacocks at 2 p.m. in MVP Arena.
“We’ve done a great job all year not having a hangover, so when it’s all said and done, I know these guys will be ready,” Maciariello said.
The Saints have won four of their last five games coming off a loss. Siena is also 6-0 this season playing on one day of rest.
“You’re going to win games and you’re going to lose games,” Siena graduate guard Anthony Gaines said. “It’s basketball. But as long as we can learn from them and continue to grow as a team, that’s all we can ask for.”
Against Marist, Siena scored its fewest points since the 75-47 loss at St. Bonaventure in the season opener. The Saints managed only five points in the final 10:27 against the Red Foxes and were outrebounded by 17.
Sunday’s game carries ramifications near the top of the MAAC standings. Siena (12-10 overall, 9-5 MAAC) sits in third place, a half-game behind second-place Saint Peter’s (12-10, 10-5). The Saints still have two
games left with Monmouth, just a half-game behind in fourth place.
The top two seeds open tournament play on Wednesday, March 9 in Atlantic City and need three victories in four days to capture the title. The third through fifth seeds begin the tournament on Thursday, March 10 and must win on three consecutive days to earn the championship.
“We’re trying to set ourselves up to be in great position come tournament time,” Gaines said. “Every game matters and we have to approach the game the right way. We didn’t approach the game the right way (Friday) over the course of 40 minutes, and that’s why we lost. Now that game’s over and after this (postgame) interview is done, we’re not talking about it. We’ve got to prepare for Sunday.”
Saint Peter’s is coming off a 70-59 victory at Fairfield on Friday. The Peacocks outrebounded the Stags 43-28 and held them to 35.2 percent shooting.
Under head coach Shaheen Holloway, the Peacocks are holding opponents to 40 percent from the field and 29.3 percent from 3-point range, both lowest in the MAAC. They’re also tops in the MAAC in adjusted defensive efficiency, limiting foes to 96.2 points per 100 possessions, according to kenpom.com.
Saint Peter’s owns the league’s best rebound margin at plus 2.9 per game, while Siena is the worst at 2.7. The Peacocks are first in the MAAC in offensive rebound percentage, grabbing 32.3 percent of their own missed shots.
Peacocks senior forward KC Ndefo, a two-time MAAC Defensive Player of the Year, had five blocks against Fairfield and leads the league with 2.7 rejections per game.
True to form, Holloway is going deep into his bench with no dominant scorer. He uses 10 players who average between 10 and 26 minutes per game. Junior guard Daryl Banks III leads the Peacocks at 10.9 points per game.
Holloway wasn’t available for an interview on Saturday.
Siena beat Saint Peter’s 60-58 on Dec. 5, the Saints’ first victory in Jersey City since 2010. In that game, the Saints built a 24-point lead with 10:33 left before the Peacocks shaved it to 2 three times in the final 13 seconds.