LOUDONVILLE, NY – After seeing its season-long four-game win streak come to an end on Thursday, Siena Women's Basketball returns home on Saturday with its sights on another victory in the friendly confines of campus. The Saints (10-6, 4-2) host MAAC rival Saint Peter's (0-15, 0-6) on Saturday, January 14, with tip-off set for 2 PM inside the UHY Center.
Saturday's contest can be viewed live on ESPN+ with Kelly O'Donnell and Brian Rubino on the call and can be heard locally on 88.3 FM The Saint or anywhere on iHeartRadio. Pregame coverage tips off at 10:30 a.m., with Joe Mixie and longtime color commentator Steve Amedio on the call. Fans can also follow along with the corresponding live stats link, while continuous in-game press row updates will be provided via the women's basketball team's official twitter page @Siena_WBB. Join the conversation by using the hashtags #MarchOn, #SienaSaints, and #MAACHoops.
The Saints saw their season-long four-game win streak come to a close on Thursday in a Kids Day loss at Manhattan, 78-53. The Japers handed the Saints their worst loss of the season to-date, as well as their largest deficit faced of the year and their most points allowed in a half (49). Siena was out-rebounded for only the fifth time this season and shot 37 percent from the field, while the Jaspers shot 46 percent and made nine three-point shots. Freshman Elisa Mevius steadied Siena with 14 points, while sophomore Anajah Brown got back in double-figure scoring for the first time in three games with ten points.
Nevertheless, Siena has started the year 7-2 in home contests for the first time since 2005-06, when it won seven of its first nine home matchups. The Saints are taking the court at home this month for the fourth time of six scheduled home games in the month of January, marking the first time since January 2011 that the team will host six home games in a single month.
Siena has claimed a league-best six MAAC Rookie of the Week honors so far this season, doing so in each of the first five weeks of the year. Mevius won Rookie of the Week honors on Nov. 14, Nov. 28, and Dec. 5, while classmate Teresa Seppala earned honors on Nov. 21, Dec. 12., and most recently this past Monday, Jan. 9. Siena has now earned both six MAAC weekly awards and MAAC Rookie of the Week honors in a single season since the 2014-15 season, when it captured 13 total weekly honors and then-freshman Margot Hetzke won MAAC Rookie of Week accolades nine times.
Mevius nearly re-wrote the Siena record book with an outstanding 14-assist performance against Marist last Saturday, putting her one help off the program single-game record, and making her the first Saint to cross the double-digit assist threshold in a game in a decade. Mevius' performance is tied for the second-most assists in a game nationally this season. She has recorded the most helps by a Siena player (77) through 16 games since 2000, and is tied for the third-most this season among all freshmen nationally.
Siena currently leads the MAAC in scoring offense (65.1), rebounding (42.2), defensive rebounds per-game (28.2), and three-point percentage defense (27.5), while ranking second in field goal percentage defense (36.2), and steals per-game (9.2). Individually, Brown leads the league in total rebounds (124), while ranking second in total blocks (24). Mevius is second in total assists (77), assists per-game (4.8), and free throw percentage (80.8).
The Saints and the Peacocks will meet for the 79th time since 1980, with Siena holding a 43-45 all-time advantage in the series. The teams split last year's season series, with Saint Peter's claiming a 70-59 home win on Feb. 10 before Siena ended regular season home play with a 69-58 win at the UHY Center on March 3. Both games featured current Siena sophomore Valencia Fontenelle-Posson in double-figure scoring, with the Saints' co-captain going for ten points in the first meeting and a double-double of 13 points and 11 boards in the second, with the latter still standing as a career-high. Current junior Ahniysha Jackson led the Saints with 14 points in last year's win, which featured a 9-10 performance at the free throw line.
The Peacocks have taken three of the last four series meetings, but Siena carries an 11-game home win streak into Saturday's contest, with the Saints having not lost at home to their MAAC rivals since 2010. Siena claimed 18 straight wins from 2011-19 and historically faced the Peacocks twice in the MAAC Championship Game, falling in 1999 and 2002.
Saint Peter's heads to Loudonville as one of only four winless teams in the country (Chicago State, Hartford, Navy) up to this point in the season. The Peacocks have come close to taking home their first win as of recent, with two of their last three and five total games this season ending as single-digit losses. Saint Peter's dropped a five-point decision at Canisius last Thursday, and fell by only three at Niagara two days later. The team ranks third in the MAAC in three-point field goal defense (28.7 %), and are led offensively by sophomore Jada Williams, who averages 11.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per-contest. Additionally, junior Rachel Kuhl is third in the league in three-point percentage (36 %).
