LOUDONVILLE — After the Siena College men’s basketball team used overtime to top Iona Monday at Times Union Center, head coach Jimmy Patsos brought up the team’s immediate goal.
“We’ve got to get a road win,” Patsos said. “Our road record is embarrassing, but, the good news is, we’ve got another chance to get one.”
That was against Rider … and the Saints got blown out 97-71 in that one Thursday.
Now, teams are often better at home and worse on the road — but Siena’s taking that to a new level this season. Heading into Sunday’s 2 p.m. game against Monmouth in Albany, the Saints are 7-6 in their home building and 1-14 away from it.
Here’s a look at some areas to help explain that discrepancy.
Fisher, home vs. away
No Siena player has logged more minutes this season than junior Evan Fisher.
No Siena player has a more visible difference in their production between home and road games than Fisher.
At home this season, Fisher’s averaging 9.8 points on 52.3 percent shooting to go along with 6.1 rebounds in 31.5 minutes.
On the road, Fisher’s averaging 6.1 points on 40.0 percent shooting, plus 3.8 rebounds in 24.3 minutes.
Huerter, too
Like Fisher, sophomore Thomas Huerter has been a lot better at home for Siena.
A glue guy for the Saints, Huerter’s played more minutes per game (18.9 vs. 16.3) at home than on the road, and has offered more rebounds (4.0 vs. 2.1), assists (1.8 vs. 0.5) and blocks (1.0 vs. 0.5).
Defensive woes
While Siena shoots at a near-identical clip in home and road games, the Saints’ defense is better at home.
Opposing teams have shot 41.6 percent from the field at Times Union Center — and only 33.0 percent from 3-point territory.
When Siena’s on the road, opponents are shooting 46.4 percent from the field 36.2 percent from 3.
Looking to attack
At home, freshman Jordan Horn plays the way Patsos wants. The guard shoots the 3, but also looks to get to the basket.
On the road? The freshman leading the Saints in scoring in MAAC play has a greater tendency to hang out beyond the 3-point line.
In Albany, Horn’s taking 61.9 percent of his shots from 3-point territory and averaging 1.8 free throw attempts per game.
Outside of Albany, 69.8 percent of Horn’s shots come from 3-point territory and he’s averaging less than an attempt per game from the foul line.
On the season, Horn’s averaging 7.9 points per game. Within MAAC play, Horn’s at 11.6 points per game.
Reach Gazette Sportswriter Michael Kelly at [email protected] or @ByMichaelKelly on Twitter.
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Categories: College Sports, Sports
