CAMBRIDGE, MA - Siena Basketball begins a season long four-game road trip when the Saints take on defending Ivy League Co-Regular Season Champion and NIT participant Harvard Thursday night at 7 p.m. at the Lavietes Pavilion. Siena is in search of the program's first 3-1 start in a decade.
The Saints (2-1) enter tonight's matchup looking to build upon a 78-65 victory over sister-school and A-10 opponent St. Bonaventure in the Br. Ed Coughlin Franciscan Cup Tuesday night at the Times Union Center. Siena is attempting to secure three victories in its first four games to open a season since starting 3-1 during the program's most recent MAAC Championship season of 2009-10.
The Saints will now look to get it done on the road where the team will go 39 days between home games, marking the longest such stretch in the program's 43-year Division I history. This marks the first time Siena will play four consecutive true road games since Feb. 12-26, 2010, and matches the program's longest road trip since playing five straight away from home Dec. 22, 1994 - Jan. 7, 1995. Additionally, the first three games on the trip are against teams who won either their conference regular season and/or tournament championship last season.
Harvard (2-1) enters the season with high expectations following a 19-win campaign and NIT Second Round appearance last season. The Ivy League preseason favorite was ranked 24th by Stadium's Jeff Goodman in his Preseason Top-25, and was amongst teams receiving votes in both the preseason AP Top-25 and USA Today Coaches' Polls.
Despite being separated by less than a three-hour drive, Siena and Harvard are set to meet for just the second time ever. The Saints took the inaugural matchup between the programs 67-64 last Dec. 1 at the Times Union Center. Siena led for the entirety of the second half and by as much as 13 midway through the stanza, although the Crimson shot 64% in the second half and had a look to tie on their final possession.
Kevin Degnan led the Saints with 16 points, and
Jalen Pickett added 14 and eight assists. Justin Bassey tallied 15 points and seven rebounds to pace Harvard.
Bill Spaulding, Alex Vispoli, and Dylan Hornblum have the call of the action on ESPN+. The ESPN+ broadcast is accessible by clicking the corresponding link, and offers fans thousands of additional live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN's linear TV or digital networks. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and cancel at any time.
Pregame coverage commences at 6:30 p.m. on Talk1300 AM and 98.7 FM with A.J. Kanell and Conner Fenlon '12 on the call. Complimentary online audio of the broadcast can also be accessed by clicking the corresponding link at the top of the page.
Social media updates will be provided courtside throughout the day by following the Saints' official twitter page @SienaMBB. Join the conversation by using the hashtag #MarchOn.
