LOUDONVILLE, NY – With only a pair of games since the start of the month, the Siena Saints have been able to use time to their advantage to regain strength and return to a healthy lineup. That paid dividends on Sunday afternoon in The ARC, as the Green and Gold downed the UMass Minutewomen behind the hot hands of Maddie Sims and Aaliyah Jones. Jones would nail three different pairs of free throws over the final 30 seconds to help secure the win for Siena.

Sims came within a point of tying her career-high in points, as she dropped 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. It would also be Sims' third 20-point showing of the season as well, as she also added three assists, two blocks, and two steals. Redshirt senior Aaliyah Jones broke out with a 15-point performance, going 3-of-7 from the field with a three-pointer and knocking down eight free throws. Sophomore Marilena Gerostergiou had 11 points and three assists for a solid game as well.

UMass was led by Asia McCoy, who topped all scorers from Amherst with 15 points and eight rebounds. Hailey Leidel added 11 points for the Minutewomen, and Jessica George pumped in 10 to give UMass three double-digit scorers.

Leading into the first media timeout, UMass held the slight 10-7 lead. That would be the last time the Minutewomen would see the lead, as Siena would break off for a 12-0 run over the remaining 4:47 of the quarter to take a nine point lead, 19-10. Jones would hit a pair of jumpers, along with three-pointers from Gerostergiou and freshman Margo Peterson.

The Saints would keep it rolling through the second quarter, gaining a lead as much as 14 points, and took a lead into halftime of 11 points as the score stood 36-25. It would be the second time this season that Siena would be winning after the first 20 minutes.

The third quarter saw the double-digit lead disappear, as UMass began to claw back into the game as the Siena shooting cooled some. Siena would score only one basket over the first five minutes of the quarter, and would lead by only six going into the fourth quarter.

Jones would hit a three-pointer with seven minutes to play, putting Siena back up by nine. However, over the next four minutes, UMass would outscore the Saints 12-2 and come within a point with 2:56 to play, 53-52. Both sides would go basket for basket until a minute remaining, as UMass split a pair of free throws to remain down by one with 1:08 to play.

The Saints would run the clock, and miss a jumper giving UMass a chance at the lead. But a travel call on UMass turned the ball back over to the Green and Gold with a minute remaining. Siena would inbound the ball to Jones, who nailed a pair of free throws three times over the final 27 seconds after failed scoring attempts from UMass.

After a strong first quarter from behind the arc, Siena failed to knock down a shot from distance until the fourth quarter, where Jones' three pointer would be the remaining trey in the game for the Green and Gold. However, the Saints doubled up the Minutewomen on bench points, 20-10.

The Saints return to the hardwood on Friday, December 21 for their final game before the new year as they take on the Hofstra Pride at The ARC. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.