Siena asserts second-half dominance in win

Marist gave Siena everything it wanted and had the game close in the second half, but the Saints proved why they are ranked No. 34 in the RPI poll.
A Candon Rusin steal and layup pulled Marist within four points at 41-37 with 17 minutes left to play. Siena then embarked on a 10-0 run and pulled away en route to a 79-60 win.
Edwin Ubiles, the NBA Draft hopeful, came off the bench to score 15 points, including a buzzer-beating fadeaway to close out the first half. Siena led, 39-30, after the first half.
Marist could not contain Siena's interior presence. The Saints pounded the Red Foxes on the glass and used their inside advantage to open up the three-point shot.
Alex Franklin scored 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Although Franklin stands at only 6-foot-5, his frame is hard to move and he's always in position. Ryan Rossiter complemented Franklin with 16 points.
Siena has the nation's longest-active winning streak: 13 games. Marist fell to 1-21 with the loss and 1-11 in the MAAC.
Korey Bauer and Daye Kaba, Marist's two veteran pieces, stepped up and contributed big performances. Bauer was Marist's biggest offensive weapon early, finishing with 18 points. Kaba scored a career-high 17 points and grabbed five rebounds. He finally delivered an outing the Poughkeepsie Faithful were waiting for.
Ironically, Bauer, a Brady recruit, is having arguably the best season of any Red Fox.
Observations:
- Hard to expect a better performance from Marist than this. With only Korey Bauer in the middle and a perimeter-oriented team, the Red Foxes hung tough with a big Siena squad.
- Prediction: Fran McCaffery leaves Siena for greener pastures in the next two seasons. The Saints' bench is completely bare. Hard to imagine them not plummeting back to earth after Ubiles, Moore, and Franklin graduate.
- Devin Price did a good job against the press. In the early minutes, Siena stifled Marist with its pressure. Price recovered nicely, and Marist was able to break for points.
- An unusual game with Marist's three freshmen not playing as big a role as usual. Playing against a power-team like Siena, they were definitely affected. Rusin had trouble finding his stroke and Price didn't really look to score until late in the game.
- This performance from Kaba is surprising because he's clearly capable of scoring a lot of points. He sports a high-arching jumper which is not likely to get blocked and he plays physical.