The experts picked Quinnipiac, Saint Peter’s, and Fairfield to challenge Merrimack, the regular-season champ, in the MAAC tournament at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. No one had Siena, despite being the No. 3 seed. But it’s the Saints vs. Merrimack in Tuesday’s title game.
ATLANTIC CITY — The Saints got to the title game by beating Fairfield 76-61, the team that ran Saint Peter’s off the floor in Friday’s quarterfinal game.
“Possibly,” 2nd-year Siena coach Gerry McNamara answered when asked if his team was overlooked. “I don’t really care. I saw it as an opportunity: a hard schedule would put us in a position to be. I got 17 kids who care. They have that self-belief. That matters more than what people think.”
The Saints’ back court of Justice Shoats (26 points) and Gavin Doty (25 points) combined for 51 points against the Stags on the combined strength of hitting six of the team’s nine 3-pointers. The irony is that Fairfield liked their chances of winning this contest because of their shooting, while the Saints struggled at times with their shooting this season.
But in this game, the roles were reversed. The Stags shot 6-of-23 (26%) on the 3-point line and 25-of-69 shooting (36%). They received nothing out of their freshmen trio of Brandon Benjamin (10 points on 5-of-13 shooting), Declan Wucherpfennig (13 points on 4-of-7 shooting), and Tony Williams (12 points on 5-of-13 shooting). It was surprising and disappointing after they combined to score 55 points against Saint Peter’s in the Stags’ 74-55 victory over the No. 2 seed Friday night.
For the Saints, shooting came easily in the first half. They hit seven of their 11 3s (63.6%) on 15-of-28 shooting (53.6%).
“We had multiple games when we had an issue with our open shooting,” McNamara answered when asked if he was surprised by how well his team shot. “We had great looks. They put pressure (double-team) on Brendan Coyle.”
Siena’s seven 3s paved the way for a 40-30 lead at halftime. From there, the No. 3 seed did not look back.
“We took what the defense gave us,” Shoats said. “They double-team us (Coyle and Francis Folefac). Folefac had it going when the Stags started guarding Siena’s guards. He finished with 10 points.
The Saints took their biggest lead at 45-32 with 15 seconds to start the second half. Meanwhile, the Stags’ only lead came at the start of the game when Benjamin took a 2-0 lead. It would have been a huge win for the Stags, but it seems they had nothing in their third game in three days. So, now the Saints get a chance for glory in the championship round.
“Knowing Gavin (Doty), I would have to tone him down,” McNamara said. “They’re going to give every ounce of effort. I have great respect for them (his players). The Saints are ready for their shining moment.”
“Merrimack’s a good team,” Doty said. “We’re excited. It’s every kid’s dream to play in the championship game and play in March Madness.”
