Pickett scores 20 to carry Siena over Monmouth 78-77

Jan 4, 2021, 12:17 am

ALBANY, N.Y. -- — Jalen Pickett had 20 points, and lofted a pass for Kyle Young's go-ahead dunk as Siena edged past Monmouth 78-77 on Sunday in the Saints season opener.

Siena, the reigning Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champions, hadn't played in 278 days, its 2020-21 season off to its latest start in program history thanks to disruption brought by the coronavirus pandemic.

Young had 15 points and 10 rebounds for Siena. Nick Hopkins added 14 points. Manny Camper had 12 points and eight rebounds. Pickett also had six rebounds and six assists.

Pickett drove the right side, drew two defenders and floated a pass for Young running down the paint for the go-ahead dunk, 74-73, with a minute left. Young and Camper made four free throws the rest of the way.

Deion Hammond had 20 points for the Hawks (3-3, 3-2). George Papas added 15 points. Marcus McClary had eight rebounds. Papas hit a 3 as time ran out for the final score.

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Elements of this story were generated by Automated Insights, http://www.automatedinsights.com/ap, using data from STATS LLC, https://www.stats.com