Siena not best on treks to west
Saints seldom fare well at Niagara and Canisius
First published: Friday, January 23, 2004
The road has never been so cold for the Siena basketball team as it has been in Western New York. And we're not talking about the blustery arctic weather that is as common to the Buffalo area as the recent failures of the Bills.
When the Saints make their annual trek to play at Niagara and Canisius, they just don't do very well.
Since joining the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in 1989-90, Siena has had little success after taking the ride west on the Thruway.
Siena has swept the two-game road trip only three times in 14 years -- during the 1999-2000, 1992-93 and 1990-91 seasons. They have split four times, including last year and, the Saints have been swept seven times.
Siena tries again this weekend, playing at Niagara tonight at 7 and then at Canisius on Sunday afternoon at 2.
Since 1989-90, Siena is 6-8 at Niagara and 4-10 at Canisius.
"I don't know if it's tougher to come out here," said Niagara coach Joe Mihalich, whose team is 4-3 at home this season. "In this league, I think it's tough to go anywhere. Anytime you can go out on the road and win it's an upset, that's what I think."
Niagara is 10-5 overall (4-2 in the MAAC) and expected to be a force when the league holds its tournament in Albany in March. Canisius has struggled, going 7-11 overall (2-5 in the MAAC). The Golden Griffs lost to Rider, 77-65, Thursday night.
"Everyone says it's tough to play out there," said Siena junior guard Tommy Mitchell. "If you're a player, you love challenges. I can't wait to get out there. If we can go out there and get both of them, we would have met the challenges. This is another challenge for us."
The Saints have started to emerge from a hole they dug while losing 10 straight games.
Siena is 6-10 overall (3-4 in the MAAC) and has won its past three games.
After beating Iona 74-71 Monday night at Pepsi Arena, Siena's players are a lot more confident in themselves.
"When we were on that losing streak, we were not playing well no matter where we were at," said Siena sophomore forward Michael Haddix. "We have shown we can win in the league on the road (at Loyola and Rider). We think we can play well out there. We know we have a shot in both of those games and that is all we can ask for."
Mihalich has paid attention to the recent Siena success. He liked what he saw of the Saints when Niagara beat them 86-81 on Dec. 6.
Mihalich may be the biggest booster of the Siena program in Western New York. Never did he think the Saints would not become a good team.
He talked about the first meeting and made sure to mention that Siena sophomore guard Antoine Jordan went down with knee and ankle injuries and played only 16 minutes.
"He's playing pretty good right now," Mihalich said of Jordan, who had a career-high 21 points against Iona. "I knew Rob would get them going. This is a marathon, it's not a sprint. And, don't forget, don't forget where the league tournament is."
Saints seldom fare well at Niagara and Canisius
First published: Friday, January 23, 2004
The road has never been so cold for the Siena basketball team as it has been in Western New York. And we're not talking about the blustery arctic weather that is as common to the Buffalo area as the recent failures of the Bills.
When the Saints make their annual trek to play at Niagara and Canisius, they just don't do very well.
Since joining the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in 1989-90, Siena has had little success after taking the ride west on the Thruway.
Siena has swept the two-game road trip only three times in 14 years -- during the 1999-2000, 1992-93 and 1990-91 seasons. They have split four times, including last year and, the Saints have been swept seven times.
Siena tries again this weekend, playing at Niagara tonight at 7 and then at Canisius on Sunday afternoon at 2.
Since 1989-90, Siena is 6-8 at Niagara and 4-10 at Canisius.
"I don't know if it's tougher to come out here," said Niagara coach Joe Mihalich, whose team is 4-3 at home this season. "In this league, I think it's tough to go anywhere. Anytime you can go out on the road and win it's an upset, that's what I think."
Niagara is 10-5 overall (4-2 in the MAAC) and expected to be a force when the league holds its tournament in Albany in March. Canisius has struggled, going 7-11 overall (2-5 in the MAAC). The Golden Griffs lost to Rider, 77-65, Thursday night.
"Everyone says it's tough to play out there," said Siena junior guard Tommy Mitchell. "If you're a player, you love challenges. I can't wait to get out there. If we can go out there and get both of them, we would have met the challenges. This is another challenge for us."
The Saints have started to emerge from a hole they dug while losing 10 straight games.
Siena is 6-10 overall (3-4 in the MAAC) and has won its past three games.
After beating Iona 74-71 Monday night at Pepsi Arena, Siena's players are a lot more confident in themselves.
"When we were on that losing streak, we were not playing well no matter where we were at," said Siena sophomore forward Michael Haddix. "We have shown we can win in the league on the road (at Loyola and Rider). We think we can play well out there. We know we have a shot in both of those games and that is all we can ask for."
Mihalich has paid attention to the recent Siena success. He liked what he saw of the Saints when Niagara beat them 86-81 on Dec. 6.
Mihalich may be the biggest booster of the Siena program in Western New York. Never did he think the Saints would not become a good team.
He talked about the first meeting and made sure to mention that Siena sophomore guard Antoine Jordan went down with knee and ankle injuries and played only 16 minutes.
"He's playing pretty good right now," Mihalich said of Jordan, who had a career-high 21 points against Iona. "I knew Rob would get them going. This is a marathon, it's not a sprint. And, don't forget, don't forget where the league tournament is."
