Riding a three-game winning streak into New Jersey, the Siena Saints look to move that number to four as they are set to face the Rider Broncs Thursday night at 7 p.m.
The Broncs are the first team this season that the Saints will see for a second time. Siena has outscored opponents 55-27 in the fourth quarter during their three-game winning streak. The Saints have also allowed an average of nine points in the fourth quarter over the run.
Freshman
Imani Harris was named MAAC Rookie of the Week on Monday. She averaged 5.3 points, 4.3 assists, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.7 steals. She is the first Saint to earn the award since Julia Hauer in 2019-20.
With former Siena Women's Basketball alumni in the house and one of the MAAC preseason front running favorites in town on Saturday afternoon, the Siena Saints fought their way to their third straight victory in a six-day span. The Green and Gold would defeat the Manhattan Jaspers by a final score of 53-47 at the UHY Center, moving the Saints to a 3-2 mark in the MAAC.
Sophomore
Ahniysha Jackson was the top scorer for the Saints on the afternoon, as she put in a new career-high 11 points with three makes from long range. Fifth-year
Rayshel Brown scored in double-figures once again, finishing with 10 points. Both
Selena Philoxy and
Margo Peterson scored nine points apiece, with Philoxy adding a team-high 13 rebounds. Freshman
Imani Harris also chipped in with four rebounds, four assists, and three steals to cap her award-winning week;.
Siena and Marist meet for the 53rd time in their history, with the Saints holding a 35-17 advantage. Jabir is currently 0-1 all-time against the Broncs, with the lone loss coming earlier this season. Rider was one of four schools on the schedule this season for the Saints that Jabir had never faced (Binghamton, North Dakota, Quinnipiac)
The last time the two teams met was back on Dec. 20 of this season, with the Broncs taking a 59-43 victory at the UHY Center.
Fifth-year
Rayshel Brown led all Siena scorers, putting up 12 points on a 5-for-9 night from the floor. Brown also added five rebounds, two assists, and two steals to her stat line. Senior
Margo Peterson scored eight points, while classmate
Amari Anthony scored six points. As a team, the Saints would force 25 Rider turnovers on the night.
Rider received an 18-point night from Lenaejha Evans, as she went 7-for-12 from the floor and adding in a team-high three assists. Mikayla Firebaugh would add 14 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks for a full resume. The other Bronc in double-figures was Raphaela Toussaint, who scored 12 points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
Rider (5-11, 3-4) trailed for just 19 seconds last time out against Niagara, but those 19 seconds included the final buzzer as the Broncs fell 75-74. The Broncs have now led with under two minutes remaining in six of their seven MAAC contests. Makayla Firebaugh became just the 15th different player in program history to reach the 30-point club, scoring a career-high 31 points.
The Broncs swept the Western NY swing for the second-straight time, also winning both in 2019-20 (Due to changes to the schedule in 2020-21 the trip did not occur), after topping Niagara 92-70 on Saturday. Lenaejha Evans scored a career-high 30 in that contest.
Fans can catch the game on ESPN3, which can be accessed by clicking the corresponding link, on smartphones and tablets via the ESPN app, and on televisions through Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Playstation, and Xbox One.
Pregame coverage tips off at 1:30 p.m. locally on 88.3 FM The Saint with
Joe Mixie and Steve Amedio on the call. Complimentary online audio of the broadcast can also be accessed by clicking the corresponding link through iHeart Radio.
Social media updates will be provided courtside throughout the day by following the Saints' official twitter page @Siena_WBB. Join the conversation by using the hashtag #MarchOn, #SienaSaints, and #MAACHoops.
