LINKS: Hoyas Host Siena Wednesday as Season Advances

Georgetown looks for a persuasive win over the Saints to build some momentum

Yes, tickets for this Georgetown Hoyas game against Siena are free for D.C. residents. Yes, the Hoyas are clearly not playing up to their potential (or tradition). Yes, it does seem like Georgetown is giving away tickets because they are struggling. No, that does mean we should demean families who come to this game who otherwise can’t afford to see Georgetown basketball games. The timing is just brutal.

A quick look at Siena indicates that, although they’ve shot 38.8% from three this season, they average fewer than 20 attempts from the perimeter. Their opponents do not put up a lot of threes (15.8 3PA) and do take a lot of twos (41).

Siena beat Seton Hall (60-55) shooting only 2 for 16 from three, but held SHU to 1 for 9 from the arc. Their win over Florida State (80-63) featured Siena shooting 9-22 from three and FSU only make 4 of 15 three-point attempts. Their 74-62 loss to Ole Miss (6-0) featured giving up 48 second-half points after leading 27-26 at half, despite a 9-0 run by the Saints to bring it to 5 points with under 5 minutes left.

Georgetown is looking for a persuasive win to build some momentum, but Siena can make some runs and could time a comeback with the Hoyas wearing down late in the second.

Here are the links:

Siena men’s basketball starts MAAC play Friday against Canisius | Daily Gazette

“Obviously, you want to take away the 3, you want to pressure the ball,” Maciariello said, “and that’ll be one of the keys to the game.”

Siena has shown the ability to do that. Opponents are only shooting 29.7% from 3-point territory against Siena — and, perhaps more importantly, opponents aren’t taking many 3s against a Siena defense that prioritizes limiting long-range attempts.

This season, opponents are taking 26% of their field-goal attempts from 3-point territory against the Saints. According to the kenpom.com database, that ranks Siena’s defense fifth in the country in terms of percentage of shot attempts allowed from downtown.

Siena is coming off some of its best defensive games of the season. The 55 points Siena allowed against Seton Hall registered as a season-low total, and that game and the win against Florida State saw the Saints produce their top efforts in terms of defensive efficiency.

Billups playing key role in Siena men’s basketball’s 5-3 start | Daily Gazette

Through Siena’s 5-3 start, Billups has recorded per-game averages of 8.3 points and six rebounds in 30.8 minutes. He’s fourth on the Saints in scoring, tied with the 6-foot-9 Stormo for the team lead in rebounds, and ranks only behind McCollum — Siena’s leading scorer at 18.3 points per game — in minutes played.

Billups matched Stormo in rebounds with a team-best 10 against Canisius. Billups made only 1 of 5 shots from the field, but scored six points after making all four of his free throws. He also blocked a shot, recorded an assist and took turns guarding whichever Canisius player was heating up during 33 minutes on the floor.

“Even if my shot is not falling, I’ve got to stay on the floor. I’ve got to help my team, somehow,” said Billups, whose club next plays Wednesday at Georgetown of the Big East.

Men’s Basketball Feasts on MAAC Weekly Awards | Siena Saints

After picking up a pair of wins over high-major opponents, Feast Week continued into Monday for Siena Men’s Basketball. The Saints performed a sweep of the MAAC Weekly Awards, with sophomore Javian McCollum heralded as the MAAC Player of the Week, and Michael Eley named the MAAC Rookie of the Week.

McCollum earned his second MAAC Player of the Week honor this season by averaging 18.7 points, 6.3 assists, and 2.0 steals over three games last week while leading Siena to a third-place finish at the ESPN Events Invitational. The Saints’ floor general shot 49% from the field and connected on 14-15 free throw attempts as the Saints posted wins over Florida State and Seton Hall. McCollum tallied 18 points and a career-high eight assists in a Thanksgiving Day rout of Florida State for the program’s first victory over an ACC squad in 12 years. He then set a new career-high with 24 points while dishing out eight more assists as the Saints hung tough with SEC foe Ole Miss Friday. McCollum capped his huge week with a team-high 14 points – including a pair of clutch free throws with 6.9 seconds left – as the Saints defeated Seton Hall Sunday for their first win over a Big East member in 19 years.

Strong Second Half Not Enough For Hall Against Siena | SHU Pirates

The Pirates started off hot, jumping out to a 9-3 lead, and forced four Siena turnovers through the first four minutes. The Hall would go on a turnover spurt of their own and it helped lead to Siena cutting their deficit to two, 13-11, with 11:46 to go in the half. The Saints would finish the first half strong and would head into the locker room up by eight points, 35-27.

Seton Hall used the charity stripe to chip away at the Siena lead, starting with two made free throws by Dawes at the start of the second stanza. However, Siena would match its largest the lead of the game at 11, 43-32, on a layup with 15:56 to go in the game. A three-point basket by Siena with 10:41 to go pushed their lead to eight, 50-42, but the Pirates used a 9-0 run that was capped off by Dawes three that put The Hall back in front, 51-50. It was The Hall’s first trey of the game and their first lead since being up 14-13 halfway through the first half.

Siena responded with a 10-3 run to close the game, holding the Pirates scoreless for the final 3:32 of the game and handing the Pirates their third loss of the season.