Box Score (PDF)

Final Statistics (html)

Final Score: Siena 72, St. Bonaventure 70

Location: Times Union Center – Albany, N.Y.

Records: St. Bonaventure 3-1; Siena 1-3

The Short Story:

St. Bonaventure lost its first game of the year on Tuesday night, falling to Siena 72-70 in the annual Franciscan Cup game at Times Union Center.  The Saints' Marquis Wright drove the right side of the lane and just beat the final horn to give Siena the victory.

St. Bonaventure trailed by 10 at halftime, rallied to tie the game twice but could not take the lead.

Youssou Ndoye led the Bonnies with 16 points and 12 rebounds, his second double-double in a row. Dion Wright added 14 points, Matthew Wright totaled 13 and Andell Cumberbatch had 10.

St. Bonaventure Starters: #3 Charlon Kloof, #5 Jordan Gathers #24 Matthew Wright, #33 Marquise Simmons, #35 Youssou Ndoye

How it Happened:

• Foul troubles plagued both teams in the opening half, and Siena capitalized by making 13-of-15 free throws while the Bonnies made only six of their 14 at the line.
• Siena ended the first half on a 15-6 run, capped by a three-pointer by Marquis White just before the buzzer that gave the Saints a 45-35 lead at intermission. 
• St. Bonaventure tightened its defense in the second half and scored 12 of the first 18 points in the half to cut into Siena's lead, making it a 54-50 game. 
• The Bonnies twice cut the lead down to one only to see Siena answer with contested backets, including a left-handed hook shot by freshman Lavon Long that gave Siena a 65-62 advantage.
• Charlon Kloof was called for his fifth foul with just under four minutes left
• St. Bonaventure finally tied the game at 65-65 with 3:31 when Youssou Ndoye made one of two free throws; Andell Cumberbatch put the Bonnies ahead 66-65 when he made one of two at the line with 3:31 to play
• Siena went back in front on a Brett Bisping three-pointer from the left wing with 2:50 left – his first three of the season.
• Andell Cumberbatch knocked down a jumper with 2:37 to go that tied the game at 68-68.
• Following two free throws by Siena's Evan Hymes, Matthew Wright was fouled with 1:16 left and he tied the game with two free throws that made it 70-70.
• On the ensuing possession, the Bonnies forced Siena to call timeout with 45 seconds left and five seconds on shot clock. The Saints had to take a desperation shot, and after a scramble for a long rebound, a jump ball was called with Bona having the possession arrow in its favor.
• St. Bonaventure worked the clock down and got the ball inside to Ndoye, but he was called for traveling with 9.2 seconds left.
• After a timeout, Siena took the ball the length of the court to set up Wright's drive for the game-winner.
• Ndoye took advantage of two Siena post players fouling out and another, Javion Ogunyemi, leaving the game due to an ankle injury. Ndoye's 16 points tied his career high while his 12 rebounds were two high of his career best.
• The Bonnies' renewed defensive focus in the second half resulted in them holding Siena to 34.6 percent shooting and a 23-12 rebounding advantage in the stanza.
• St. Bonaventure wound up out-rebounding the Saints 39-35.
• Hindered by foul trouble, Kloof scored four points with four assists in 25 minutes.
• Siena leading scorer Rob Poole scored only four points on 1-8 shooting in 28 minutes.
• Normally a strength, free throw shooting cost the Bonnies on this night as they missed 12 out of 31. Siena went 16-21.
• Matthew Wright's seven assists were one shy of his career high; he also hit the first two (2-5) three-pointers of his senior season.
• Dion Wright played a strong game and his 14 points were one short of a career high.
• Despite a decidedly smaller lineup, Siena outscored St. Bonaventure in the paint, 36-32.

Beyond the Box Score:

• This was Siena's first time winning the Franciscan Cup in the four times it has been contested.
• Tuesday's game was the Bonnies' first road game this season.
• Among the St. Bonaventure alumni and fans in attendance was SBU Athletic Hall of Famer Earl Belcher, whose number is retired. Belcher lives in the Albany region.

Quotes from St. Bonaventure Coach Mark Schmidt

• "We dug ourselves a hole in the first half, no question. Our free throw shooting in the first half was really poor, and you have to make free throws to win on the road."
• "(Marquis Wright) made a really tough shot. Give him credit, and give Siena credit. We knew they were better than their record, and they played hard. Especially in the first half, I thought Siena played well and we were not nearly as good as we needed to be."
• "We challenged them at halftime and we played much better."
• "We thought points in the paint would decide who won the game and we just didn't get that done."

Up Next: The Bonnies will play in the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla., Nov. 24-26, opening against Southern Illinois on Monday, Nov. 24 at 8:30.