LOUDONVILLE, NY – Siena Basketball graduate student Anthony Gaines has been proclaimed the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Week. The Kingston, New York native averaged a double-double last week while leading the Saints to a pair of key victories over first-place Iona and upstart Rider.
 
Gaines becomes the first Siena Men's Basketball player to earn MAAC Player of the Week honors this season, and first since Jalen Pickett received the final honor of the 2020-21 season on Mar. 8, 2021. Gaines is the second Saint to claim a MAAC Weekly honor this season, joining freshman Jared Billups who was named the MAAC Rookie of the Week on Jan. 10.
 
Gaines averaged 19.0 points and 10.0 rebounds while shooting an even 50% from the floor against the Gaels and Broncs. On Friday, he scored a game-high 21 points and added nine rebounds to lead Siena past first-place Iona in a nationally televised primetime showdown at MVP Arena. Less than 38 hours after that late-night victory, Gaines guided the Saints to a gritty overtime road win in an early Sunday afternoon matinee against a Rider squad which had entered the day winners of four straight. He achieved his third double-double in six games, posting game highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds to go along with four assists and, most notably, hit both the game-tying and winning free throws with 6.1 seconds remaining in overtime.
 
The only Saint to start all 21 games so far this season, Gaines ranks second on the squad averaging 11.0 points and stands sixth in the MAAC in rebounding (7.1). Over his hot six-game stretch, he has averaged nearly a double-double with 16.5 points and 9.7 rebounds.  
 
Winners of six of their last seven, Gaines and the Saints return to the Capital Region for a pair of pivotal conference contests this weekend. Up first is I-87 rival Marist Friday night at 7 p.m. at MVP Arena.