Down 72-60 entering the fourth quarter and once down 17 in the game, the Siena Saints buckled down on defense and held the Howard Bison to only four field goals in the fourth quarter to outscore the Bison 26-9 over the final 10 minutes to take an 86-81 victory on the road. The win would be the first of the year for Siena, as junior Maddie Sims and freshman Amari Anthony each collected double-doubles. It would be the first time since 2016 that two Saints notched a double-double in the same game.

Sims set career-highs in both points and rebounds as she pumped in 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Anthony had her best game of her young career with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Junior Sabrina Piper found a groove behind the arc, as she put up a season-high 16 points on 5-for-10 shooting from the floor, including 4-for-6 from three-point land. Piper also tossed out seven assists, while senior Deja Rawls also added a 14-point night.

For Howard, Sarah Edmond and Jayla Thornton combined for 50 of the Bison's 81 points. Edmond put up 27 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Thornton had 23 points, six rebounds, and an assist in the losing effort. Krislyn Marsh had a double-double for Howard, as she added 12 points and 13 rebounds.

The Bison narrowly outscored the Saints in the paint 34-32, but the Saints took advantage on points on turnovers with 16 and 25 bench points.

With Siena up 11-10 just four minutes into the first quarter, Howard turned on the jets for a 14-0 run and a 24-11 lead over the next four and a half minutes. It would be a deficit the Saints couldn't chip away at in the second quarter, as both teams erupted for 26 points in the second quarter, playing to a 54-42 score.

Out of the half, the Saints kept pace with Howard, despite the Bison climbing to a 17-point lead with 6:45 to play in the quarter. As the fourth quarter began, the Saints once again trailed by 12 as both teams scored the same number of points in the third quarter, with each putting up 18 in the frame.

Within the first minute of the fourth, a pair of free throws from Sims and layup from Anthony brought the Saints back within single digits. From there, Siena chipped away, mostly behind the sharp-shooting Piper, who nailed all three of her attempts behind the arc down the stretch, including one with 4:06 to play to bring the Green and Gold within two points. With 2:33 to play, Anthony would snag a rebound and score a put back to tie things up at 81-81.

The Saints held Howard scoreless over the final 3:48 of the game, as the Bison couldn't find the bottom of the hoop. The dagger came from the hand of Rawls, who scored a layup, got fouled, and nailed the free throw to go up four with 41 seconds to play.

The game consisted of 53 total fouls, and both teams each went 19-for-29 from the free throw line. Overall, the Saints only led for 3:35, while putting up their best field goal percentage in a single game on the season.

Siena takes to the hardwood next on Wednesday, Nov. 23 as they will face Drexel on Black Friday at the prestigious TD Bank Classic, hosted by the University of Vermont. Siena will play either Wagner or Vermont in the second leg of the tournament on Saturday. Tip off for Friday's game is at 7 p.m.