JERSEY CITY, NJ - Siena Basketball looks to kick off Super Bowl Sunday on a high note and conclude a big weekend in the City when the Saints battle Saint Peter's at 4 p.m. at the Yanitelli Center. Fresh off their first road win of the season, Siena will look to end another drought Sunday in Jersey City.
Siena (10-9, 6-4) and Saint Peter's (9-10, 6-4) tip off the final full month of the regular season with a pivotal matchup. Two of the hottest teams in the conference, the Saints and Peacocks enter play tied with Rider for third place in the MAAC Standings and just a half game back of current co-frontrunners Monmouth and Quinnipiac at the midway point of the conference slate.
Siena has won three straight by an average of 19.7 points, capped by consecutive 23-point victories over Quinnipiac and Iona to match the program's largest margin of victory in five years. The Saints broke through to secure their first road win of the season in a big way Friday night, toppling the four-time defending MAAC Tournament Champion Gaels 87-64. The 23-point win marked Siena's largest road victory in 10 years, while Iona suffered its worst defeat at the Hynes Athletics Center in 13 years.
Now, with one monkey squarely off their backs, the Saints will look to take care of the other Sunday. Siena is in search of its first win at the Yanitelli Center since Jan. 28, 2010, as Saint Peter's has won nine straight in the series at home while limiting the Saints to an average of just 58.5 points. The Peacocks hold a 49-44 all-time edge in a series in which the home team has prevailed in 14 of the past 15 meetings.
Saint Peter's concludes a season long four-game homestand with its third game in five days at the Yanitelli Center. The Peacocks have won their first three during the homestand, defeating Niagara, MAAC co-leader Monmouth, and crosstown rival Manhattan. While Siena enters play leading the MAAC in both scoring (73.4) and field goal percentage (.447), Saint Peter's paces the conference in field goal percentage defense (.398) and blocks (4.3).
The Saints captured the first meeting between the programs 61-58 on Jan. 9 in Albany. The game featured 10 ties and 11 lead changes, with
Jalen Pickett leading all scorers with 16 points for Siena who was without the services of second leading scorer
Elijah Burns (illnees). Reserve Aaron Estrada scored 13 points for Saint Peter's who received 37 of its 58 points from its bench.
Joe Vasile and Darryl Jacobs have the call of today's game on ESPN+, which 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 3:30 p.m. in the Capital Region 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.
