Free Live Odds - Scores and Odds - Sports News - Sports Information - Live Scores - Sports Statistics - Sports Articles - Sports Standings - Live Scoreboard - Live Odds - Sporting Events - Live Lines

Saints and Broncs battle for MAAC Tournament title

Mon 10th, March 2008

Albany, NY (Sports Network) - The top-seeded Siena Saints are set to collide with the second-seeded Rider Broncs in the championship game of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament, and the winner will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Rider beat 10th-seeded Canisius by four points in the quarterfinal round before knocking off sixth-seeded Marist by a 76-71 final in the semifinals yesterday. The Broncs have never won the MAAC Tourney and have had little success at this event in the past.

As for Siena, it trailed fourth-seeded Loyola-Maryland by 10 points at intermission yesterday, but a tremendous rally in the second half resulted in a 65-63 triumph. The Saints have won this tournament on two occasions, most recently in 2002.

Rider and Siena split a pair of games during the regular season, and the Saints own a 17-10 advantage in the all-time series.

Jason Thompson was sensational for Rider in yesterday's semifinal round, as he poured in 32 points and ripped down 18 rebounds. Harris Mansell scored 16 points in that clash, and Kamron Warner contributed 10 points off the bench. The Broncs got the job done at the defensive end, as they limited the Red Foxes to 34.9 percent shooting from the field. Jason Thompson is a phenomenal performer who is racking up 20.5 ppg this season on 55.7 percent shooting from the floor. He is also grabbing 12.0 rpg to go along with 89 assists and 86 blocked shots. Ryan Thompson adds 14.7 ppg to the mix, but he missed last night's game with a concussion, and it remains to be seen if he will be able to participate in this title contest. Mansell is contributing 14.0 ppg for Rider, which is generating 77.9 ppg while allowing 70.6 ppg to the opposition. As a team, the Broncs shoot 40.1 percent from three-point range.

Siena's hard-fought win over Loyola-Maryland last night was the fifth straight for the team. The fact the Saints trailed by as many as 17 points in that tilt and still found a way to fight back and win is remarkable. They shot only 35.7 percent from the floor in the first half, but a 50 percent effort from the field over the final 20 minutes got the job done. Somehow, Siena was able to overcome a 9-of-20 showing from the foul line, including 2-of-9 in the second half. The club only committed seven turnovers in the clash while forcing Loyola into 16 giveaways. Alex Franklin posted 22 points and 12 rebounds for Siena, which got 17 points from Kenny Hasbrouck. Edwin Ubiles had 14 points, and Ronald Moore tallied 10 points. Ubiles is scoring 17.4 ppg this season, while Hasbrouck (15.5 ppg) and Franklin (15.4 ppg) round out an impressive trio.

Where the players come to play and STAY.

Sports Information you need to win BIG.

Sports Contests – Think you know the game?

Poker Promotion

Find NC State basketball tickets at TickCo and watch the college basketball season wrap up with Final Four tickets!

Contact Us | Help | Site Map| Sport Links

Sportsbook Directory | Casinos Directory | Poker Room Directory | Racebook Directory | Partners Directory