Albany, N.Y. - Clarence Jackson tallied 18 of his 25 points in the first half in leading Siena to a convincing 83-54 victory over UAlbany before 12,960 fans on Saturday, Dec. 5 at the Times Union Center. The Saints have won eight of the nine meetings since the series was renewed in 2001 after a 24-year hiatus.
     Siena (5-3) led wire-to-wire and was never threatened in posting the largest win margin in this crosstown match-up since the 1946-47 season. The Saints, who have won consecutive Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championships and a pair of NCAA Tournament first-round games, shot 54.3 percent in the first half en route to a 49-23 lead at the intermission.
     The Saints, who have won five in a row in the series, led 20-10 midway through the opening period and then ran off 10 unanswered. Jackson buried one of his five 3-pointers from the left corner and then hit a layup after a steal to ignite that outburst. Alex Franklin, who had 14 points and nine rebounds, put back a missed three-point shot and then converted a lob pass in transition for a 20-point cushion.
     UAlbany (3-6) tried to show some life when freshman Derrek Tartt nailed a 3-pointer and Fran Urli made a layup after breaking pressure. But the Saints slammed the door with 12 of the game's next 14 points. Ronald Moore, a senior guard who had 13 points and 11 assists, sank a long-range jumper from the left corner and Edwin Ubiles hit a baseline jumper to jump-start the run.
     "They have had some losses against good opponents, so we knew how good they are," said UAlbany coach Will Brown, whose squad shot 35.9 percent and committed 21 turnovers against Siena's full-court pressure and defensive traps. "They were more aggressive and quicker to the ball. Their veterans performed better than our veterans, and we were running uphill most of the night."
     Ryan Rossiter, a 6-foot-9 junior, was the fourth Siena player in double figures with 12 points and seven rebounds. The Saints were coming off a loss to No. 23 Georgia Tech three days earlier. UAlbany's Will Harris had 17 points, on 7-of-13 shooting, while Tim Ambrose added 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
     "They are a very good team and it was frustrating," said Harris, whose team continues its stretch of eight consecutive road games against Pennsylvania on Tuesday. "It's fun to play in front of the fans in your city, but it's disappointing that we didn't have a better performance. All we can do is try and get better."

Siena 83, UAlbany 54 (12/5/09 at Times Union Center, Albany, N.Y.) 

UAlbany 54

Siena 83