Byline: PETE IORIZZO Staff Writer {FACTBOX} What a difference a year makes Siena players swore since the season's start that they would not allow a repeat of last year. Metro Atlantic Athletic Conferences coaches apparently didn't believe them; they picked the Saints last in the preseason poll. Here's a stat-by-stat comparison of how the Saints proved wrong their doubters: - Stat///Last year///This year - Wins///6///XX - Losses///24///XX - PPG///64.1///74.0 - RPG///37.3///34.0 - FG%///.375///.426 - 3-point FG%///.288///.377 - FT%///.698///.760 - Players averaging double-figures///2///4 - Final place in the standings///10///XX - MAAC Tournament - When: Thursday-Monday - Where: Pepsi Arena - Tickets: Pepsi Arena box office, 1-800-303-8368 or http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase
Siena 98
Niagara 92
ALBANY - He cried before the game, when Siena fans offered a Senior Night standing ovation. It wasn't exactly a sob, but at least a single tear trickled down Antoine Jordan's cheek. A couple teammates swear they saw it.
He almost lost it again after the game, when in the locker room coach Fran McCaffery lauded him as one of the most consistent players he ever coached. Jordan couldn't remember McCaffery's exact words, because he was, "too busy trying to hold back the tears," he said.
Jordan left Pepsi Arena on Saturday with a handful of parting gifts, including a chocolate-chip cake that said, "We'll miss you, Scoop."
But the best gift of all was a 98-92 double-overtime victory over Niagara in front of 7,181 fans.
This win meant much more than sentiment, too. It guarantees the Saints a winning record, just one year removed from 24 losses. It clinched a bye in the first round of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament. And it added one more shot of confidence to a team as bent on defying expectations as it was when coaches picked it last in the preseason poll.
"We want to win this championship," Jordan said.
This victory improved the Saints' chances immensely. Without a bye, Siena needed to win four consecutive games to secure an NCAA Tournament berth. It now needs three.
Siena will play Saturday at 5 p.m. against the winner of a game between the Nos. 5 and 10 seeds. Rider will finish 10th. The No. 5 seed will be determined today.
"We feel we didn't accomplish anything yet," guard Kojo Mensah said. "We made some noise, but now we want to go in there and really make our mark. We believe we can win this tournament."
Despite a roster that included one senior, just nine available scholarship players and only one starter taller than 6 feet, 4 inches, McCaffery said he never doubted the Saints would finish better than expected. He said he knew it as soon as he watched the team's first scrimmage, against Seton Hall in October.
"There was so much written about how bad we were going to be," McCaffery said. "I remember when we went down to play Seton Hall - and they're a darn good Big East team - and after 30 minutes, we're ahead. I'm thinking, `We're going to be OK.' "
Fourth place marks Siena's highest finish in the MAAC since a third-place finish in 2002-03, when the Saints also reached the second round of the National Invitation Tournament.
Siena won the MAAC title in 2001-02 by winning four straight tournament games. But it wanted badly to avoid taking such a road again.
The Saints narrowly escaped that fate when Niagara's Stanley Hodge failed to convert a layup as time expired in regulation. Siena's Mousse Diop, a 6-foot-9 reserve forward, deflected the try ever so slightly.
The Saints missed a chance to win at the end of the first overtime when Jordan missed a last-second 3-pointer.
Siena led by a point with one minute remaining in the second overtime when Jordan hit a floater in the paint. Two Niagara misses followed by a Tay Fisher free throw helped the Saints hold on.
Freshman Kenny Hasbrouck led Siena with 25 points.
Siena overcame a 51-27 rebounding deficit as well as a 21-point, 15-rebound effort from Niagara's James Mathis.
With 3.1 seconds left, Jordan left the court. He shared a hug with teammates, then embraced McCaffery. The two swayed back and forth a few times, with McCaf fery patting Jordan on the back and whispering, "I'm proud of you."
"It's been a great year so far," Jordan said. "But I'm not saying it's over. It's not over by a long shot."
Pete Iorizzo can be reached at 454-5425 or by e-mail at piorizzo@timesunion.com.
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JAMES GOOLSBY/TIMES UNION KENNY HASBROUCK celebrates a shot that tied the game at 80. He and Siena would have a lot more to celebrate later. JAMES GOOLSBY/TIMES UNION ANTOINE JORDAN, honored before his final regular-season home game, scored 19 points for Siena.
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