Second-half surge propels Siena men's basketball to victory over MAAC frontrunner Quinnipiac

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Down two starters with a third banged up? A 13-point second half deficit against the MAAC co-leaders? No problem. Dinged-up Gavin Doty pulled off his best Willis Reed impersonation as Siena basketball opened February with a statement 84-75 victory over reigning MAAC regular season champion, preseason favorite and conference co-leader Quinnipiac in front of a season-high crowd of 6,469 at MVP Arena.

Doty, who seemed highly questionable to play after suffering what appeared to be a severe injury only 39 hours earlier, poured in 19 points, six rebounds and a career-high four steals for Siena (10-12, 5-6), which became the second program in MAAC history to reach 350 all-time regular season conference victories (Iona).

MAAC Preseason Player of the Year Amarri Monroe scored a career-high 28 points and added nine rebounds for Quinnipiac (13-9, 9-2) which had won six straight and eight of nine entering play. Khaden Bennett added 11 points and reserve Doug Young scored 10 for the Bobcats which fell into a tie for second place with Merrimack, a half-game back of idle Marist.

Quinnipiac shot 50% in the opening stanza and went on a mini 9-2 run late to open as much as a 13-point advantage. The Bobcats took a 40-29 lead at the break as the Saints misfired on 11 of 12 three-point attempts in the first half.

Quinnipiac built its lead back to as many as 13 once more at 49-36 with 16:38 to play. But 13 once again proved to be a lucky number for Siena, which opened play for the second straight month by overcoming a 13-point second half home deficit.

The Saints, who’ve made a habit of second half comebacks all season long, responded with a decisive 26-5 run over just 6:22. Doty (10 points) and Reid Ducharme (eight) combined for 18 of the points during the frenzy, and put an exclamation point on the rally. Doty drilled a three and Ducharme then stole the ensuing inbounds and slammed it home to give Siena a 62-54 advantage with 8:56 remaining.

Defense fueled the comeback as the Saints switched to full court pressure which turned the Bobcats over eight times during the run. Ultimately, Siena held Quinnipiac to just 24% (6-25) shooting in the stanza, while forcing 16 turnovers and swiping 11 steals in the half alone.

The remainder of the game turned into a foul fest as the teams combined to shoot 58 second half free throws. But the Saints never let it get any closer than four as they snapped a four-game losing streak in the series.

Justice Shoats led four in double figures with 22 points and six assists for Siena which erupted for a season-high 55 second half points. Brendan Coyle added 13 for the Saints who improved to 4-1 in MAAC home action while averaging 87 points.  

Reserves Ducharme (13) and Myles Wilmoth (six) combined to score all 19 of their points in the second half, while achieving the two highest plus-minus ratios for the game at +20 and +18 respectively. Wilmoth added seven rebounds and a career-high six blocks to highlight a stellar defensive performance. As a team, Siena achieved season-bests in field goal percentage defense (39%) and steals (13).

Following a grueling span where they played four of six on the road against the top-four teams to wrap up January – and a weekend split against the top-two squads – the Saints continue a stretch where they play five of seven within the friendly confines of MVP Arena in February. Siena returns to action when they host defending MAAC Tournament Champion Saint Peter’s in the annual Gold Rush Game Thursday at 7 p.m.