ALBANY, NY – What a difference six days make. Following a 71-59 setback Tuesday night on the Jersey Shore, Siena Basketball returned the favor with a nearly identical 70-59 Senior Day triumph over Monmouth in front of a season-high crowd of 6,524 in the regular season finale at MVP Arena.
 
Colby Rogers erupted for 20 of his game-high 26 points in the second half for Siena (15-11, 12-6), which kept pace with Saint Peter's for second place in the MAAC Standings with now just two games remaining. A trio of players – Anthony Gaines, Nick Hopkins, and Jackson Stormo – all scored 12 points apiece for the Saints who, with the win, secured a top-three seed for the MAAC Tournament.
 
North Carolina transfer Walker Miller scored 15 points and Seton Hall transfer Shavar Reynolds added 12 points for Monmouth (18-11, 10-8), which is now locked into the 4-5 game in Atlantic City after dropping pivotal contests to both Siena and Saint Peter's this weekend.  The Hawks held a 38-10 advantage in points in the paint, but the Saints kept three-point threat and the MAAC's third leading scorer George Papas (15.6) scoreless until midway through the second half, and to just a quiet nine points overall on 3-11 shooting including only 2-7 from distance.
 
Siena literally made the most of their second shot against Monmouth thanks to a season-best performance on the glass. The Saints posted a season-high +17 rebound margin – which was 10 rebounds better than the team's previous best – and turned a season-high 17 offensive rebounds into a 12-2 advantage in second chance points.
 
A topsy-turvy first half featured Monmouth scoring the first seven and final 11 points of the stanza. Siena dominated in between with a 29-8 run, and ultimately held a 33-31 lead at the break.
 
The Saints led for more than 34 minutes, and never trailed in the second half, but the Hawks hung around until deep into the stanza. A quick 8-0 run spanning just 62 seconds – highlighted by key back-to-back threes from Hopkins and Rogers – pushed the lead to a dozen and all but sealed the deal with 4:52 to go, as Siena avenged Tuesday's defeat in West Long Branch.
 
The Saints shot just 38% from the field – including only 33% (13-39) on two-point attempts – but connecting on 10-22 (46%) from distance including 8-14 (57%) in the second half to capture the final regular season meeting between the soon-to-be former MAAC foes. Siena has captured five of the last six meetings against Monmouth, which is set to bolt for the Colonial Athletic Association following the conclusion of the school year.
 
The Saints will look to build upon a successful 7-3 month of February heading into the decisive month of March. Siena begins the most important month of the season by concluding their regular season slate with the always challenging annual Western New York trip this coming week. The Saints commence their pivotal regular season-ending swing Thursday at Niagara at 7 p.m.