In the FWO/Hyatt Place Tip-off tournament hosted by St. Francis, IN, the Siena Heights Men’s Basketball team used overtime to win their first game of the season against the University of Northwestern-Ohio Racers. Brent Reynolds led the Saints with 25 points in the 82-78 overtime win. Courtney Smith was also a huge force for the Saints as he scored 13 points and pulled down 15 rebounds.
After finding themselves down 33-37 at the halftime break, the Siena Heights Saints climbed their way back into the second half and had two opportunities to win the game in regulation. With 32 seconds left in the game Smith made the first free throw to tie the game at 71. Smith then missed the second free throw, but the Racers could not take advantage as they turned the ball over. Logan Mathews then had a chance with almost no time on the clock to win, but he could not knock down the shot.
The Saints got off to a quick start in the overtime period as they scored five points in the first minute. Smith knocked down a field goal, while Reynolds followed that with a three point basket. After SHU was up 76-71 the Racers hung tough, however, tough defense combined with good rebounding and enough made free throws won the game 82-78.
Mathews finished the game with 15 points, while Mark Sniped threw in 11 more points. Demetrius Andrews ran the Saints offense and picked up six assists to lead the team. On the night, the Saints won the game shooting 39% from the field and just 19% from behind the three-point arc. The team forced the Racers into 23 turnovers and won the rebound war by pulling down 49 rebounds.
The Saints will play in the tournament finals on Saturday. They will face the host team St. Francis. The Cougars beat OSU-Lima 120-41 yesterday. Tip off is at 6:00 pm. If you wish to view the game via a stat web-cast follow this link. Web-Cast Click on the (((W))) for the live cast.