Saints try to win 2nd straight
LOUDONVILLE — Coming off a win at Manhattan, the Siena men’s basketball team is looking for its first back-to-back victories of the season.
Siena (4-20, 3-10 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) takes on Saint Peter’s on Friday at Run Baby Run Arena in Jersey City, N.J.
“It’s a process,” Siena coach Carmen Maciariello said. “We can’t worry about the past. We can just control what we’re putting forth this moment.”
The past hasn’t been kind to Siena in Jersey City. The Saints have lost 11 of their past 12 games at Run Baby Run Arena, including a 73-72 overtime loss in last year’s regular-season finale. The Peacocks hit a tying 3pointer with 0.2 seconds left in regulation, part of Siena’s lateseason collapse.
Siena sophomore guard Michael Eley is the only remaining Saint who started that game.
“This group, I don’t think (the history) really matters,” Maciariello said. “They don’t know what they don’t know. We’ll go there and I’m sure we’ll have some energy and it’s great.”
Siena didn’t have much recent success at Manhattan, either, until rallying from a 10-point deficit in the final seven minutes last Saturday to beat the Jaspers.
“It was good for us,” Eley said. “Definitely good for our confidence, but we can’t be satisfied by just that one win. We have to keep stacking days and get as many wins as we can to finish out the season.”
Eley and redshirt junior guard Sean Durugordon didn’t play when Siena and Saint Peter’s met earlier this season. The Peacocks prevailed 63-52 on Jan. 28 at MVP Arena by holding the short-handed Saints to one point in the final 9:19.
Eley and Durugordon are back from their hamstring injuries.
Saint Peter’s didn’t have leading scorer Corey Washington, a sophomore forward, for that game because of a shoulder injury. He hasn’t returned and the Peacocks have lost four straight since that victory over Siena. Saint Peter’s (11-11, 7-6) has slid into a tie for sixth in the MAAC.
“Saint Peter’s is going to be a hungry team, too,” Maciariello said.
Siena freshman forward Michael Ojo also missed the first
Saint Peter’s game because he was in concussion protocol. He played a big role down the stretch in Saturday’s win at Manhattan. He had four blocks, four steals and scored a key basket during Siena’s comeback.
“We just stayed together,” Ojo said. “We talked amongst each other, communicated, which is what we needed down the stretch and came out with the win.”
Maciariello criticized the effort and investment of some unnamed players
after last Thursday’s home loss to Marist. But Ojo said that wasn’t a motivating factor in Saturday’s victory.
“We’ve always been a hard-working team,” Ojo said. “I knew going into the game everybody was where they needed to be in order for us to be victorious, so that’s what happened.”
Nevertheless, Maciariello said he felt the team responded.
“We didn’t play perfect by any means, but I thought we had an edge for us,” he said. “There was a couple of hiccups … but guys were good. Michael Eley was good in
terms of telling guys to stay the course and stay focused. I thought it was a positive for us.”
Note: Siena announced it will retire the No. 23 of guard Doremus Bennerman at halftime of Sunday’s home game against Canisius. Bennerman, who played at Siena from 1990 to 1994, was inducted this month into the school’s Hall of Fame. He wasn’t eligible for either honor until he completed his degree two years ago. Bennerman, who lives in Sweden, and the rest of the 1994 team that reached the NIT semifinals will be honored at halftime of Sunday’s game.