Starting lineups for Providence/Butler
Providence: Jaylin Sellers, Stefan Vaaks, Ryan Mela, Jamier Jones, Oswin Erhunmwunse
Butler: Finley Bizjack, Efeosa Oliogu-Elabor, Jamie Kaiser, Michael Ajayi, Drayton Jones
Riley Mulvey's performance tonight was absolutely exquisite. A masterpiece. His first college double-double in what could've very well been his final game.
Rotterdam native with an emphatic swat of Kennedy's layup 11 points, 11 rebounds, 5 blocks. Siena 61, Merrimack 52. 26.5
And Francis Folefac BLOCKS an Ernest Shelton triple. Joe Gallo is LIVID about not getting a foul call there. Thought there was contact.
Siena calls timeout, looking to salt this one away, ahead 57-50 with 1:44 remaining
GAVIN DOTY!!!! FROM WAY DOWNTOWN!!!! SIENA BY 7!
We've got a ballgame.
Terrific defensive possession by Merrimack to force a Folefac turnover in the paint. Brogna ahead to Marrero to Kennedy and he draws a foul.
51-45 and a chance to cut to 4 at the under-four timeout.
Riley Mulvey goes over Ugwuakazi for the layup, but Ernest Shelton drills a three. You thought this would be easy? 51-45 Siena. 4:25 to play
Siena 45
Merrimack 30
11:41 | 2H
Merrimack is 0-14 from the field in the second half. Siena is blocking shots around the rim. It's a 12-0 #killshot for the Saints as Shoats and Doty have scored all 12.
Okay Ern. Merrimack is within 5 as Shelton drills a stepback from the left wing, brilliantly setting up the 2-for-1 with 39.5 seconds left.
Joe Gallo calls a quick timeout. His second of the first half. 8-0 Warrior run. Can Siena have the final say of the half?
Merrimack with another jolt of energy. Andres Marrero hits a three, and then Ernest Shelton volleyball spikes a Folefac attempt into a transition layup for Dorset.
Timeout GMac. 33-25 Saints with 1:33 in the first half
Siena 28
Merrimack 20
3:41 | 1H
Just as Merrimack is building some momentum, Todd Brogna fouls Coyle in the act of shooting a three. Cardinal sin. Two each on Brogna and Ugwuakazi at the under-four.
After the whistle was largely loose for both sides for the first 13 minutes, two ticky-tack fouls on KC Ugwuakazi exacerbated the cause for the Warriors. He stays in the game.
Kennedy scores after a Folefac offensive foul. 28-17 Siena
Siena 18, Merrimack 9. The Saints have canned three triples in a row and have made six of their last eight shots.
Coyle just hit one falling to ground. It could've been worse for Merrimack if Dorset didn't connect on a three from the wing off a Kennedy oboard. Timeout Gallo
United Center*
Starting lineups for Siena/Merrimack
Siena: Justice Shoats, Gavin Doty, Brendan Coyle, Francis Folefac, Riley Mulvey
Merrimack: Kevair Kennedy, Tye Dorset, Ernest Shelton, Andres Marrero, Todd Brogna
Hello, Kaety L'Amoreaux. Her first points of the game come in the fourth quarter, but they're big ones that put the Stags back ahead by nine (for now)
Fairfield goes up by 9 in the second half. Quinnipiac has turned it over 6 times in the last 4 minutes. A three by Jillian Huerter and a in-the-lane feed from Nellie Brown to Cyanne Coe has the Stags ahead 34-25 late in the third
Fairfield, which leads the country with 11.5 made threes per game, was held down without a made triple in the first 13 minutes.
Then, Jillian Huerter bangs two in a row. Stags 20, Bobcats 13. Timeout Fabbri
Fairfield 6
Quinnipiac 4
4:36 | 1Q
I told a few others that I thought this game was going to be a war, and oh man, it is. Jackie Grisdale hits a three, QU draws a charge, but Fairfield has DOMINATED the glass, 9-1, and has scored four second chance points.
🏆 MAAC Men's Basketball Championship Game
🐶 Siena Saints (22-11, 13-7) vs ⚔️ Merrimack Warriors (23-10, 17-13)
📅: Tuesday, March 10
🕘: 9:00 PM
📺: ESPN2
📍: Atlantic City, NJ
Just two point guards from the 570
FINAL: Siena 76, Fairfield 61
The Siena Saints will play for a MAAC title. A much more convincing second half tonight.
How about the backcourt of Shoats (26p) and Doty (25p) tonight. Monster performances
Justice Shoats rips the ball away from Brandon Benjamin after Benjamin brought down an offensive rebound, and Shoats is headed back to the line.
Siena leads it by 10 with under three minutes left.
Justice Shoats is 3-3 from three today. Gerry McNamara has been imploring his PG to shoot more from deep throughout the season. He has to be pleased with this showing.
61-48 Saints with under seven minutes to play.
Benjamin checks back in, but Justice Shoats connects from mid-range and the Saints are back up by 10.
They'll go into the media up 10 after Williams travels.
It's Siena 58, Fairfield 48 with 7:44 to play in AC
Siena 49
Fairfield 42
11:34 | 2H
Tony Williams cut the Siena lead to five, but Saints responded with a second chance bucket from a Folefac post dish to Mulvey, and then a Shoats layup to make it nine. Williams another response, back to seven.
HALFTIME: Siena 40, Fairfield 30
Good use of fouls-to-give by McNamara and the Saints -- inserting Jones to absorb two in the final seconds.
Siena made seven threes in the first half, but only one was from Brendan Coyle. Two each from Shoats, Doty, Henderson.
I walked out of the media room with about 7 minutes left in the first half, and was waiting for the next whistle to tweet... now there's 1:14 left in the first half.
Justice Shoats and Gavin Doty have been the best players on the floor with 13 and 11 pts. Siena 39, Fairfield 30
Official quote from the officiating crew on the potential for a shot clock violation on Merrimack's last possession:
"It was a judgement call, the offical chose to let the game play on."
FINAL: Merrimack 58, Marist 57
Warriors can’t get the score, but Collins-Roberts dribbles into trouble as the clock runs out, and Merrimack edges past Marist to head to the title game.
It wasn’t pretty. But they never are. Heartbreaking loss for Marist
Largest lead of the game for Merrimack -- 50-42
