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Thursday, February 25, 2010

Rider-Siena

Breaking down tomorrow's game at the Zoo, which tips off at 7 p.m. on ESPNU.

SCOUTING SIENA:
The Saints, winners of two NCAA tournament games in the last two years, will be the top seed in next week’s MAAC tournament for the third straight year. ... Alex Franklin, a 6-foot-5 senior averaging 16 points and 7.7 rebounds, is the frontrunner for MAAC Player of the Year. .. Junior Ryan Rossiter, averaging 14.3 points and a league-leadign 10 rebounds, is a virtual lock for first-team honors, while seniors Edwin Ubiles (14.7 points) and Ronald Moore (nation-leading 7.6 assists) are also strong candidates. ... Ubiles, Franklin and Moore, all preseason first-team all-MAAC picks, have won 92 career games over four years — the most by a class in school history. ... Junior swingman Clarence Jackson (14 points) has filled in nicely for departed MAAC Player of the Year Kenny Hasbrouck. ... Backup Kyle Downey is back with the team after missing nine games with a broken foot, but is unlikely to play tonight. Freshman O.D. Anosike is averaging 2.9 points in 13 minutes off the bench.

SCOUTING RIDER: Led by a resurgent Ryan Thompson, the Broncs have won five of their last seven in the MAAC after a 3-6 start. Thompson, so-so for the first two months of the season, has been the league’s most dominant player over the past four weeks. The preseason MAAC Player of the Year is averaging 25.4 points over his last seven games and is coming off a career-high 38 point-showing in an overtime loss last Saturday at Hofstra. ... Novar Gadson, in the midst of an up-and-down season, scored 16 points off the bench against the Pride. He’s averaging 11 points but still playing through pain after sustaining a mid-season high ankle sprain. ... Justin Robinson (13.2 points) is shooting 44 percent from 3. ... Mike Ringgold (11 points) has frequently guarded perimeter players of late — the main reason he’s had single-digit rebounding totals in 15 straight games. ... Brandon Penn (3.9 points) has made three straight starts in place of Gadson.

SIDELINES: Siena has won eight of the last 11 games in the series. ... The Saints’ Dec. 23 win over Rider started a 15-game winning streak. ... Siena is 8-6 all-time at Rider. .. Siena is the only team in the country with four players averaging 14 or more points.

4 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

think about how crazy this game could have been if this was a battle for 1st as everyone thought possible at the beginning of the season

February 25, 2010 10:00 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anyone with a brain knew this game wouldn't be for first place - that's why Rider was picked 3rd.

And Doody, Franklin is 6'5, not 6'7 - if he was 6'7, he'd be playing for Villanova.

February 26, 2010 1:14 AM 
Blogger Ben Doody said...

Anon,

Thanks for the correction on Franklin's height. Post is fixed.

February 26, 2010 8:44 AM 
Anonymous SienaMan88 said...

Alex was not first team preseason. Ironically the expected POY for this year was only voted preseason 2nd team. Helps prove how he has progressed his game so much from last year.

February 26, 2010 4:44 PM 

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