LOUDONVILLE, NY – The Siena Saints played in their first game at the UHY Center on Saturday afternoon, and just fell short of victory as they fell to the Duquesne Dukes by a final score of 59-49.
 
Both teams combined for 52 total turnovers, as each team recorded 26 on the game. Both sides also scored 19 points apiece off of turnovers. Siena would shoot 39 percent from the field on the game, but would finish with a 30.8 percent clip in the fourth quarter – their lowest of the game.
 
Leading the way was an 11 point effort from fifth-year Rayshel Brown, followed up by a 10-point game from fellow fifth-year Selena Philoxy. Philoxy, making her Siena debut, also added six rebounds, six steals, and a pair of blocks. Seniors Amari Anthony and Margo Peterson also each scored eight points apiece.
 
For the Dukes, Megan McConnell scored a team-high 17 points, also adding four assists and four steals. Libby Bazelak fell one point shy of a double-double, scoring nine points with ten rebounds. Both Tess Myers and Precious Johnson chipped in eight points apiece.
 
Duquesne got off to a fast start, opening up a 9-0 lead before Rayshel Brown scored with 6:42 left in the first to break the ice for the Saints. Trailing 13-4 with 4:04 to play in the first, the Green and Gold would go on a 10-0 run through the end of the first into the first minute of the second quarter to take a 14-13 lead thanks to Philoxy's first bucket as a Saint. Both sides wrestled with the lead before Duquesne jumped ahead by three at the half, 29-26, with Siena going scoreless over the final 1:43 of the frame.
 
Both sides came out scoring in the second half, as they battled to a 34-all tie with 7:24 to go in the third. From there, each side struggled to score over the next six minutes with only three combined points between the Saints and Dukes. With 1:42 to play, a Duquesne bucket Bazelak would help give them a two-point cushion into the fourth quarter. In the fourth, the Saints struggled offensively scoring only nine points in the final 10 minutes as Duquesne took the 10 point victory.
 
Siena was held without a free throw attempt, thus were held without a made free throw for the first time since Dec. 4, 2006 in a loss to #1 Maryland. The Saints were held 0-for-3 from the line against the Terps.
 
The Saints return home on Tuesday, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. when they host North Dakota at the UHY Center in the second game of a three-game home stand.