Brett Bisping recorded a double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds to lift the Siena Saints to a 61-49 victory over the Illinois State Redbirds in the semifinals of the College Basketball Invitational at the Times Union Center.
Siena (18-17) advances to play either Old Dominion or Fresno State in a championship series in the final stage of the tournament. Rob Poole added 14 points and four assists for the Saints, who also received 11 points courtesy of Ryan Oliver. Evan Hymes chipped in 10 points in the victory.
Reggie Lynch paced the Redbirds (19-15) with 15 points, seven rebounds and five blocks. Daishon Knight netted 11 points for ISU as it ended its campaign with a 3-11 mark in true road tests.
Siena scored the first nine points of the contest and never looked back. The Saints shot 48.1 percent from the floor, while ISU connected on only 1-of-10 attempts from beyond the arc before the break. Due to the poor shooting display in the opening 20 minutes, the Redbirds went into the intermission trailing, 31-21.
ISU continued to struggle offensively in the second stanza as it was limited to just 33.3 percent efficiency from the floor. Siena converted 12-of-14 shots at the charity stripe in the second half to protect its lead.
The Saints assisted 16 of their 20 makes from the floor in the contest. ISU finished with just five assists against 12 turnovers.
[SportsNetwork.com]
