ALBANY, NY – Siena Basketball shot a scintillating 81% in the second half and went on a decisive 13-1 run late as the fifth seeded Saints eliminated No. 4 seed Rider 87-81 in the MAAC Quarterfinals at the Times Union Center. Siena established new program MAAC Tournament records in shooting 65.1% from the field including 57.1% from three.

Siena (17-15) advances to the MAAC Semifinals for the 20^th time in 30 seasons where the Saints will battle regular season champion, top-seed, and three-time defending MAAC Tournament Champion Iona Sunday night at 6 p.m. at the Times Union Center. The Gaels previously punched their ticket to the semifinals with a 73-71 win over ninth-seeded Saint Peter's Friday night.

Siena placed five scorers in double figures for the first time this season in an offensive showcase in which the Saints connected for their highest field goal percentage in over three years since hitting at a 66% clip in a win at Canisius on Jan. 24, 2016. Second Team All-MAAC selection Evan Fisher paced a balanced attack with 22 points for surging Siena which has won 11 of 15.

Defending MAAC Regular Season Co-Champion and unanimous preseason favorite Rider (16-15) also had five scorers in double figures. Tyere Marshall led the way with 22 points and eight rebounds for the Broncs which failed to advance past the MAAC Semifinals for the eighth consecutive year.

The battle featured seven ties and 10 lead changes, although Siena led for nearly 30 minutes. The Saints built as much as a seven-point advantage in the first half, but needed a three from MAAC All-Rookie Team selection Sloan Seymour to close out the stanza with a 30-29 lead.

Siena pushed the advantage to five points multiple times in the second half, but Rider hung around and the teams exchanged leads four times two-thirds of the way through the stanza. The Broncs claimed their final lead at 65-64 with 5:16 to go.

But unanimous MAAC Rookie of the Year and First Team All-MAAC selection Jalen Pickett scored on the next possession to spark the Saints' decisive 13-1 run spanning 3:29. Siena made all three of their field goal attempts and shot 7-8 from the free throw line during the spurt to claim a commanding 77-66 lead with 1:23 to go. The Saints shot an identical 17-21 from both the field and the charity stripe and connected on 6-7 three-point attempts in erupting for a season-high 57 second half points.

Pickett scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half and added six assists and a season-high four blocks for Siena which improved to a stellar 21-6 in MAAC Tournament games at the Times Union Center dating back to 2002. Pickett also swiped his 65^th steal to break the Siena freshman record set by Marquis Wright in 2013-14, while also eclipsing the 500-point plateau.

Seymour added a career-high 18 points on 6-8 from three for the Saints which improved to a perfect 4-0 all-time vs. Rider in the MAAC Tournament. Kevin Degnan contributed 13 points and Kadeem Smithen chipped in 11points off the bench for the Saints which have won eight of 11 over the Broncs including five straight in Albany.

Second Team All-MAAC selection Stevie Jordan scored 14 points for Rider which held a 44-22 advantage in points in the paint and a 27-3 margin in second chance scoring. Jordan Allen, Anthony Durham, and Dimencio Vaughn added 12 points apiece for the Broncs which had entered the postseason winners of four of their final five regular season contests.

Siena and Iona split the regular season series, with each squad winning on the others home court over an 11-day span last month. The Saints earned a 56-54 victory on Feb. 2 in New Rochelle, while the Gaels secured a 57-52 triumph on Feb. 13 in Albany.

Sunday's semifinal showdown pits the two most storied programs in MAAC Basketball history. Iona has won a league-record 11 championships, while Siena is tied with Manhattan for the second most titles with five. The Saints' .619 MAAC Tournament winning percentage is second only to the Gaels' .671. Iona has captured each of the first nine MAAC Tournament meetings between the programs.