Feb. 22, 2007

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ALBANY, N.Y. - Senior Michael Haddix had 19 points and 11 rebounds to complete his 10th double-double of the season as Siena rolled Manhattan 78-61 in Albany Thursday. Freshman Ronald Moore added 16 points and 10 assists recording the first double-double of his promising career.

Siena led 32-23 at halftime thanks to 12 points from Haddix and a stifling defense. The short handed Jaspers shot just 29% from the field before the break.

Manhattan's leading scorers Devon Austin and Arturo Dubois played just seven minutes combined due to injury and illness respectively.

Still, Siena led just 44-38 before Moore ignited a 20-4 run with a 3-pointer from the left wing with 12:49 remaining.

The Saints shot 69% from the field in the second half and put four scorers in double figures for the third straight game. It was the fifth straight time the team shot over 50% from the field (52.5). They are now 11-0 on the year when doing so.

Freshman Edwin Ubiles scored 11 points and Kenny Hasbrouck had 10 in a winning effort.

Manhattan was led by Antoine Pearson, who scored 18 of his game-high 20 points in the second half. Darryl Crawford finished with 17 for the Jaspers.

Siena dominated the inside, thanks in large part to Haddix. The Saints owned a 40-20 advantage in points in the paint and a 46-33 rebounding edge.

Moore's 10 assists were his most of the season and were the main reason behind Siena's lopsided 21/8 assist/turnover ratio. The Jaspers protected the basketball even better, committing just three turnovers all night.

The win moves Siena within a game of first place Marist in the MAAC standings. The Saints and Red Foxes square off in Poughkeepsie Saturday at 11 a.m. on ESPN2. With a win, Siena will clinch a share of the regular-season title and could secure the top seed in the MAAC Championships with some additional help this weekend.

Notes: Siena's seven game winning streak is its longest since the 1999-2000 campaign...Senior Mousse Diop played five minutes in the second half, scoring two points on a soft hook shot...The crowd of 6,642 was the third largest of the season, pushing the Saints regular-season attendance to 5,834...The Saints will win a tie-breaker with Marist should they defeat the Red Foxes Saturday AND have Niagara finish ahead of Loyola in the conference standings.