Final Stats

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. -- Siena Women's Basketball rang in the New Year in dramatic fashion, ending the game on a 20-1 run over the final 6:09 to shock Niagara 59-51 at the Gallagher Center. The Saints had trailed by as many as 11 points with 6:40 remaining following a three-point play from Kaylee Stroemple.

Siena (6-7, 3-0) reserves Jackie Benitez and senior forward Symone Kelly combined for 17 of the team's 22 fourth quarter points as the Saints rallied for an improbable win to remain atop the MAAC. Siena has now won seven straight MAAC Regular Season contests dating back to last season to match the program's longest conference winning streak in 13 years.

The freshman Benitez scored nine of her career-high tying 16 points over the final four and a half minutes, highlighted by the game-tying three with 3:11 remaining. Red-shirt sophomore guard Denisha Petty-Evans then nailed the go-ahead trifecta with 70 seconds to go to give the Saints their first lead of the game, 53-50.

Siena hit six of its final eight shots in a clutch performance down the stretch while in turn forcing Niagara (2-10, 0-3) to miss its final six field goal attempts while committing six turnovers as the Saints prevailed to improve upon the program's best MAAC start since opening the 2010-11 conference docket with five consecutive victories.

Taylor McKay scored 14 points and added six rebounds and five steals for the Purple Eagles which had led for 35 minutes, but by no more than 2-3 possessions for the vast majority of the game. Niagara's zone defense had stymied Siena for most of the night, limiting the Saints to just 29.4% shooting (15-51) over the first 34 minutes.

Sam Lapszynski added nine points and a career-high 12 rebounds and Stroemple contributed nine points, with her final three giving the Purple Eagles a 50-39 lead with six and a half minutes to play.

But Siena's defense, which entered play ranking second in the MAAC in almost every major defensive category, limited the Purple Eagles to just 20 second half points on 4-21 (19.0%) shooting. The Saints also made the most of their second chance opportunities, turning 16 offensive rebounds into a 24-9 edge in second chance points to secure the program's longest conference regular season winning streak since winning eight straight from Feb. 6-28, 2003.

Kelly finished with 12 points, a season-high eight rebounds and a career-high tying three steals off a Siena bench was has contributed 67 points the past two games. Petty-Evans also finished in double figures with 13 points for the Saints which have won six of eight to pull within a game of .500 after opening the season with five consecutive defeats.

The Saints will now look to sweep their annual Western New York road trip for the second year in a row, a feat which the program hasn't accomplished since the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons. Siena concludes its busiest week of the year featuring four games in seven days -- all on the road -- Monday night with a 7 p.m. tip-off at Canisius on ESPN3.