LOUDONVILLE, NY – Winners in each of its last three contests and off to a 3-1 start in MAAC play, Siena Women's Basketball will look to end a three-game homestand without a loss Saturday afternoon. The Saints (9-5, 3-1) welcome MAAC rival Marist (6-7, 2-2) to the UHY Center on Saturday, January 7, with tip-off set for 2 PM.
Thursday's contest can be viewed live on ESPN+ with the "Voice of the Saints" Emmanuel Berbari 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 12:30 p.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.
Saturday's contest will serve as Siena Women's Basketball's "Meet The Team Day", with fans getting the opportunity for postgame autographs and meet-and-greet with Siena players following the conclusion of the game.
In addition to matching its longest win streak of the season thus far, the Saints have claimed victory in six of their last seven, seven of their last nine, and eight of their last 11 games. Continuing to match its best start to a season in 20 years, the team is 3-1 in MAAC play for the first time since also winning three of four games to open conference action during the 2018-19 campaign. Siena has started the year 6-2 in home contests for the first time since 2005-06, when it won seven of its first eight home matchups. The Saints are also tied for the most overall wins in the MAAC so far this season.
The Green and Gold welcomed back Kids Day to the tune of a crowd of 1,716 Thursday morning, treating them to a 61-46 win over defending MAAC champion Fairfield, who had previously started the year with a perfect 3-0 MAAC record. The Saints ended the Stags' 19-game win streak over MAAC opponents - including 16-in-a-row during the regular season - by shooting 47 percent from the field and holding a 41-34 rebound advantage. Sophomore Emina Selimovic went for a career-high 19 points, while freshman Teresa Seppala grabbed a collegiate-best 13 boards.
All eight members of the Green and Gold got on the scoresheet in the win over the Stags, marking the sixth such occurrence for the Saints thus far this season. Five times all eight players in a game have scored, while once all nine have done so.
Siena currently leads the MAAC in scoring offense (65.1), field goal percentage defense (34.7), rebounds per-game (43.4), defensive rebounds per-game (29.1), and three-point defense (26.6)
Individually, sophomore Anajah Brown leads the MAAC in field goal percentage (58.8) and total rebounds (114), while ranking second in total blocks (22), blocks per-game (1.57), and rebounds per-game (8.1). Freshman Angel Jones is third in the league in assist/turnover ratio (1.43), while junior Ahniysha Jackson has attempted the third-most three-point shots (96).
With just under 90 miles separating the two longtime MAAC rivals, the Saints and the Red Foxes will meet for the 77th time on Saturday, with Marist owning a 42-34 advantage in the series since 1977. Siena came away with its first season sweep of its conference counterparts since the 2003-04 season, taking home a 69-53 decision on Jan. 11 before claiming a handy 59-45 victory at home on Feb. 19.
Led for the final season by retiring head coach Brian Georgis in his 21st season, Marist grabbed a 56-43 win over Manhattan on Thursday, with the Jaspers limited to eight points in each of the final two quarters of play. The Red Foxes lead the conference in free throws made per-game (12.4), with junior Zaria Shazer taking the most free throws in the league (48) thus far. Shazer leads the team in both scoring and boards with 14.5 points per-game and 6.2 rebounds per-contest, while Kiara Fisher (12.8) and Kendall Krick (10.8) also average in double figures.
