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Lourdes closed 17-point first half deficit to four late in the game on Wednesday evening, but was unable to get any closer, falling to Siena Heights 69-61 at the Russell J. Ebeid Recreation Center.
 
Both teams started slow offensively, with Siena Heights holding just a 10-4 lead 10 minutes into the contest.  The Saints heated up though, as a 15-2 run allowed the visitors to build their largest lead of the game, 23-6, with under five minutes to play before halftime.  Lourdes made just three of its first 23 shots from the floor while also missing their only four free throw attempts in the first 15 minutes of the game.  Seven unanswered points by the Gray Wolves followed, and Lourdes was able to maintain the 10-point deficit, 32-22, heading into the locker room.
 
"I'm extremely disappointed in our effort to start the game tonight," head coach Josh Gibson said after the contest.  "There's no excuse for coming out with a complete lack of energy and execution in a home conference game.  Our indifferent approach at the beginning of the game put us in a huge hole that proved too much to overcome."
 
The Saints built the lead back to 16, 45-29, over the first five minutes of the second half before Lourdes mounted its comeback.  A 9-1 run pulled the Gray Wolves to within single digits with 12 minutes to play.  After Siena Heights pushed the lead back to 12, Lourdes again responded.  A three-pointer by Anthony Swanigan (Indianapolis, Ind./Pike H.S.) brought the Gray Wolves to within six, 59-53, with 6:25 remaining.  Another Swanigan layup two minutes later made it 63-59, and Lourdes forced a turnover, but the Gray Wolves were unable to get any closer the rest of the way.
 
"While I am happy that we battled in the second half and cut it to four, I refuse to accept the type of effort that we had to begin the game and we will do whatever is necessary to ensure that it doesn't happen again," Gibson added.
 
Levert Bristol (Dothan, Ala./Northview H.S.) led Lourdes with 17 points while Swanigan added 16 more, 14 of which came in the second half.  Kyle Stergis (Garfield Heights, Ohio/Garfield Heights H.S.) added a career-high 11 points, his first double figure effort as a Gray Wolf.
 
Lourdes committed just six turnovers on the night but finished the game shooting just 36.1% from the floor, including 2-of-11 (18.2%) from three-point range.  The Gray Wolves were also outrebounded 43-31 for the night.
 
Chris Pearl led four Siena Heights (10-8, 5-6 WHAC) players in double figures with 18 points while Jerrell Martin added 14 points, a game-high nine rebounds, and four blocked shots.
 
Lourdes (3-15, 2-9) will begin the second half of Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference action on Saturday as the Gray Wolves face Michigan-Dearborn.  Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. at the UMD Fieldhouse in Dearborn, Mich.