Top Ten Moments

Dec. 28, 2009

The Siena athletic department released its #4 Moment of the Decade as selected by the office of athletic communications. Women's basketball's 2001 MAAC Championship is next up on the countdown.

Head Coach Gina Castelli had seven winning seasons in her first 11 years at the helm, including 179 wins, four MAAC Coach of the Year awards and two New York State Division I Coach of the Year awards. The hard work and dedication of Castelli, her staff and her student-athletes paid off, as the Saints won the 2001 MAAC Championship and earned its first NCAA Tournament appearance.

The fans at the HSBC Arena-mostly relatives of Castelli, a Buffalo native-held their collective breaths as the title game wore on. Down by two and with time winding down, Fairfield's Schrene Isidora heaved a 3-point shot for the win, but it hit the front rim and fell harmlessly to the court.

The eruption of emotion that occurred in the subsequent moments was a consequence of 11 years of bottled up dreams and hard work. Tears streamed down Castelli's face as her Saints swarmed the floor meeting in an endless embrace at midcourt. They had done it! Siena was headed to the NCAA Tournament.

March 4, 2001 - Buffalo, NY - Schrene Isidora's three-pointer at the buzzer came up just short, setting off a wild celebration as Siena pulled out a 70-68 victory over Fairfield at the HSBC Arena Sunday night. Siena captured the MAAC title and earned its first-ever bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Tournament MVP Liene Jansone scored 20 of her 28 points in the second half to carry Siena (24-5) to victory. The MAAC Rookie of the Year also notched 10 rebounds and shot 10 of 13 from the field. Fellow Latvian, Player of the Year Gunta Basko added 17 points, six boards and three steals. Sacha Baker contributed 10 points and a season-high eight assists.

The Saints rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit to take the lead by opening the second-half with an 11-2 run. Eventually, Siena extended the lead to seven with seven minutes left. However, the Stags would not go down quietly, rallying to within one with just over a minute left. After Fairfield missed a pair of free throws and Siena turned the ball over with 20 seconds left, Jansone stole away an entry pass with six seconds remaining and drew a foul. She made one of two free throws to extend the lead to two, setting up Isidora's length-of-the-court drive and desparation three from about 23 feet away. When the shot fell short and Jansone pulled down another board, the Saints piled onto the court in celebration.

Isidora led the Stags (25-5) with 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Gail Strumpf was held to 16 points on six of 15 shooting to go along with eight rebounds.

For the second straight game, Siena turned it over just nine times. That helped offset the Stags 12-rebound advantage. The Saints will ride a 15-game winning streak into the NCAA Tournament.

The Siena athletic department will highlight its most memorable moments from the first decade of the 21st century, revealing the top-10 daily beginning December 22 and ending New Year's Eve. Fans will also be able to vote among 30 predetermined moments through the Fan Poll currently live at SienaSaints.com and the results will be published in conjunction with the release of the top moment on December 31.