NEWARK, Del. — For the second straight game, Siena men’s basketball coach Carmen Maciariello walked off the court dismayed with the product the Saints are putting out.
After terming Wednesday’s loss to Georgetown as a “disgusting effort,” Maciariello was similarly frustrated Sunday as the Saints let a promising start slip away in a 75-64 loss to Delaware that dropped Siena’s record to 5-5.
“We have to get better,” Maciariello said in a video posted to the team’s social media. “We need guys to step up and play with fire. I don’t feel it all the time. I didn’t feel it against Georgetown, and I didn’t feel it here tonight.”
In Sunday’s loss, the Saints got off to an ideal start through 13 minutes, leading by as many as eight points on three separate occasions. Then, as the first half wound down, Siena got careless with the ball.
Five turnovers in a stretch of a little more than three minutes gave the Blue Hens momentum, sparking a 13-0 run that made it 29-24 with 2:26 left in the first half and put Delaware in front for good.
“I don’t think we’re smart,” Maciariello said. “We had a stretch where we had seven possessions and we had five turnovers. That let Delaware into the game in the first half, and now you’re in for a dogfight. Instead of growing a lead and playing smart, you’re not understanding the anatomy of the game.”
Delaware (6-0 overall), the defending CAA champions, pushed the lead to 33-28 at halftime. Siena made it a one-possession game early in the second half when Jayce Johnson scored two of his career-high 21 points, but Delaware’s Jyare Davis answered with a basket and the Saints never got closer than four points the rest of the way.
Delaware easily coped with Siena’s pressure down the stretch, building a double-digit lead and comfortably sealing the victory.
Jameer Nelson Jr. starred for the Blue Hens, scoring 19 points in the second half on his way to matching his career high with 30 points. Davis added 19 points, with LJ Owens and Ebby Asamoah scoring 10 each.
Johnson led the way for Siena with 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting. Jackson Stormo added 17 points and seven rebounds, and Andrew Platek scored 12. Despite playing a team-high 37 minutes, sophomore guard Javian McCollum was limited to nine points on 4-of-13 shooting — including 0 of 5 from 3-point range — and committed four of Siena’s 16 turnovers.
All the scoring in the game came from both team’s starters, as both benches were held scoreless.
Coming off back-to-back discouraging losses, the Saints get a long break for finals and won’t return to the court until hosting the Franciscan Cup against St. Bonaventure on Dec. 19 at MVP Arena in Albany.
“I think we just have a tired team,” Maciariello said. “Guys are worn down. Luckily, we’ve got a break with finals coming up and two days off. Hopefully, we can get back to work here in a couple days and really correct some things.”
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Categories: College Sports, Siena College, Sports, Sports
