LOUDONVILLE, NY – Siena Women's Basketball's start to the program's 35^th season of conference play came equipped with every ounce of competitive juice that one would expect from two longtime league foes. Ultimately, the Golden Griffins (5-3, 1-0) edged out the Saints (3-5, 0-1) in the final seconds of a back-and-forth affair to the tune of a 65-63 victory, marking their first win in Loudonville since 2014.

What began as a low-scoring affair in the teams' first meeting in a MAAC opener since 2012 saw Siena jump out to an early 8-2 lead in what proved to be the largest advantage of the afternoon. Despite shooting just under 17 percent (3-18) in the first quarter, the visitors used five straight points from sophomore Sisi Eleko to begin the next quarter on a 7-2 run and ultimately hold a three-point lead at the half following a 21-14 advantage in the quarter.

Siena battled back to begin the second half and went on a 9-0 midway through the third quarter to take a 39-34 lead with 4:33 remaining. The Saints connected on seven free throws down the stretch, and ultimately held a three-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Entering the day ranked 14^th nationally in three-point percentage, Canisius used 11 three's throughout the course of the game to remain in-tact, and ultimately received triples from Capital Region native Grace Heeps at the 7:48 and 1:24 marks to take control. After Elisa Mevius tied the game at 63 with a right-side layup with 23 second left, Canisius' Brooklyn Thrash drew a foul and nailed both free throws with 1.2 seconds remaining to end a three-game Siena winning streak in the series.

The Saints fell to 1-3 at home on the season despite shooting its best percentage of the year from the field at 46.3 percent and holding a 36-32 rebounding advantage. Mevius finished with a game-high 21 points for her second 20-point output of the season, while sophomore Teresa Seppala recorded her first double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore London Gamble added 11 points, while Eleko and Athina Lexa each recorded 19 points for the Golden Griffins.

 Looking to snap out of a stretch of five losses in its last six games, Siena will embark on its longest road trip of the season prior to the Christmas holiday. The Saints will first round out the initial conference weekend at Mount St. Mary's in Emmitsburg, Maryland on Monday, December 18, with tip-off set for 7 PM.