March 3, 2002
By CONNOR ENNIS
Associated Press Writer
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Dwayne Archbold scored 28 points to lead conference underdog Siena to a spot in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament finals with an 83-63 semifinal win over Fairfield on Sunday.
Seventh-seeded Siena (15-18) will play No. 4 seed Niagara in the MAAC final on Monday at 9 p.m. for the right to go to the NCAA Tournament.
Archbold's performance came a day after he scored a career-high 36 points to lead the Saints to an 82-76 comeback win over Marist in the tournament quarterfinals.
The Stags were playing their second physical game in about 15 hours. Their 81-74 win over Manhattan, where Fairfield (12-17) overcame a 17-point deficit to get the win, ended just before 12:30 a.m. Sunday, and it seemed to affect the Stags down the stretch against Siena.
Two free throws by Fairfield's Rob Thomson brought the Stags within 50-42 with 12:20 left in the game. The Saints promptly went on a 20-7 run over the next seven-and-a-half minutes to put the game away.
Justin Miller started the run with two quick buckets inside and Prosper Karangwa followed with a 3-pointer that made the score 55-42 and brought the pro-Siena crowd to their feet.
An Archbold layup with 4:32 left gave the Saints a 70-49 lead, their largest of the game, and secured them a spot in the championship game.
Andy Cavo added 19 points for Siena while Miller finished with 10. Oscar Garcia led Fairfield with 13 and Nick Delfico added 12 for the Stags, who turned the ball over 20 times.
The Stags started the game strong and after an 11-0 run, highlighted by two 3-pointers from Nick Delfico, Fairfield held a 20-13 lead with 10:06 left in the first half. The Saints answered right back with a 6-0 run that closed the gap.
Cavo hit a 3-pointer and made a steal and fed Archbold for a fastbreak layup
to key the spurt. With the Stags holding a 27-24 lead with 5:02 left, Cavo and
Archbold combined to score all Siena's points during a 12-4 half-ending run
that gave the Saints a 36-31 halftime advantage.
