Siena Stuns Iona, 65-62

ALBANY, NY -- Twenty days after suffering its worst Division I conference loss ever at the hands of Iona at Madison Square Garden, Siena shook off an early 20-2 deficit and stunned the Gaels, 65-62, Monday at Times Union Center.

“Everyone counted us out, very few people thought we could win this game,” Siena head coach Mitch Buonaguro said afterward. “We did.”

Buonaguro called the win the biggest of his 50-game tenure as head coach at Siena.

The Saints (9-10, 4-5 MAAC) didn't take their first lead until senior Kyle Downey banged a three from the top of the key with 4:22 to play. It was the second of three huge shots Downey would make in the final moments. The final came when he sprinted between the circles, collected a feed from Hymes, turned and rose in one motion, and calmly drilled a 17-footer that gave the Saints the lead again, 63-62, with 51 seconds left.

Downey shot 7-13 and finished with 16 points in what may have been the defining game of his college career.

“Kyle Downey deserved a night like this,” Buonaguro said. “People have said he’s a role player. He’s not. He’s the hardest worker we have had since I’ve been at Siena. He spent three hours in the gym every day over the summer.”

O.D. Anosike extended the nation’s longest active double-double streak to 15 games with 17 points and 15 boards.

Rob Poole had 14 points, six rebounds and six assists off the bench – perhaps the best effort of his promising career. Fellow freshman Evan Hymes had 11 points.  Even seldom used sub Marcus Hopper contributed, playing 10 minutes in the first half after Downey picked up his third foul.

Mike Glover led Iona with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Machado played through foul trouble to finish with 16 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Lamont "Momo" Jones ended with 14 points.

Iona missed a chance to sweep Siena for the first time since 1996-97, and the Saints have now won 11 of the 12 games between the two schools here in Albany since 2000. Much more was at stake for the Gaels.

Iona had won seven of its first eight league games, and entered play with a 15-4 record that included wins over Maryland, Denver and Saint Joseph’s.

How did Siena pull off the upset? Consider this: Sean Armand made a MAAC-record ten 3-pointers, finishing with 32 points in the Gaels 95-56 romp at The Garden. On Monday, they made just 3-16, and Armand didn’t score, missing his only field goal attempt.

Meanwhile, the Saints entered the game as one of the 20 worst 3-point shooting teams in Division I, but they made 7-19 3-pointers Monday, including 5-10 in the second half.

Siena's next game is Friday night at 7:00pm versus Marist at TUC.

Courtesy:  Siena Sports Information Department