NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The groundhog may not have seen his shadow, but Siena Basketball saw their future today and, like Punxsutawney Phil predicted, spring may be coming earlier than expected for the Saints. Five-time defending MAAC Rookie of the Week Jalen Pickett scored all 17 of his points in the second half and Siena withstood a four-shot final possession to defeat three-time defending MAAC Tournament Champion Iona 56-54 at the Hynes Athletics Center.

Pickett scored the first 10 points during a decisive 15-0 second half run to rally Siena (10-12, 5-4) from a seven-point deficit to a 54-46 advantage with 3:24 to play. He then added two clutch free throws with 22.6 seconds remaining to provide the final margin.

Following a pair of Iona (7-14, 5-5) free throws with 15 seconds to go, the Gaels stole the inbounds to set up a wild finish. Iona got off four shots on the final possession but couldn't connect as the Saints secured their third win in four years in New Rochelle.

Evan Fisher scored 12 points and Kevin Degnan added eight points and seven rebounds for Siena which snapped a four-game losing streak in the Greater New York Metropolitan area.

E.J. Crawford scored 14 of his game-high 19 points in the second half for the perennially potent Gaels' offense which entered play leading the MAAC in both scoring (79.8) and field goal percentage (.462). The Saints held Iona to their lowest scoring output in 30 games dating back to last season, while also limiting the Gaels to just 36% shooting.

The game featured eight ties and 10 lead changes as the rivals played to their fifth straight matchup decided by four points or less, and by a grand total of 11 points. Siena harbored a 27-26 edge at the break despite a 14-point first half from Ben Perez. The junior college transfer finished with 17 points overall on 5-7 shooting from three, although the Saints held the rest of Iona to just a combined 1-20 from distance.

Manny Camper tallied six points and seven rebounds in his first start in a month and a half and Thomas Huerter, Jr. provided a lift off the bench with five points and three rebounds in his first appearance in a month for Siena which continued its defensive dominance against a formidable offense. The Saints have now allowed an average of just 58.5 points while holding their opponents to 70 points or less over the past 11 games.

Siena concludes its grueling three games in five days stretch Monday when they return home to host Fairfield at 7 p.m. at the Times Union Center.