LOUDONVILLE, NY – Looking to continue momentum following the first win of the 2024 calendar year, Siena Women's Basketball is set to host the MAAC preseason favorite for its annual Kids Day matchup. The Saints (5-7, 2-2) will welcome Niagara (6-8, 3-1) to the UHY Center on Thursday, January 11, with tip-off set for 11 AM in Loudonville.  

Tickets to Thursday's game can be purchased by clicking the corresponding link or in-person at the UHY Center. The Siena Fan Relations Management Center is on-hand to handle all ticket-related inquiries, and can be reached by phone at (518) 487-2202 or by e-mail at sienatickets2@siena.edu. For all Siena Basketball ticket-related information, log onto sienasaints.com/tickets.

Thursday's 12^th annual Kids Day contest will feature upwards of 1,200 Capital Region school children in attendance from Albany, Schenectady, and Troy-area schools. This years Kids Day game is presented by Transfinder.

"We are happy to sponsor the transportation of hundreds students in our area for Siena's Kids Day event," said Antonio Civitella '91, President and CEO of Transfinder Corp. What a great matchup. We hope students will get a taste of Siena's wonderful campus and maybe one day attend there, like I did! They won't be disappointed."

Thursday's contest can be viewed on ESPN+, with the "Voice of the Saints" Emmauel Berbari and Brian Rubino on the call, and can be heard locally on 88.3 FM The Saints or anywhere on iHeartRadio. Pregame coverage tips off at 10:30 AM, with the radio "Voice of the Saints" 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 X page @Siena_WBB. Join the conversation by using the hashtags #MarchOn, #SienaSaints, and #MAACHoops.

A monster 31-point performance from lone senior Ahniysha Jackson led the Saints to a 64-45 victory over Saint Peter's on Saturday, giving the team its biggest win of the year and Jackson the most points scored by a Siena player since January 2018, as well as the program's first 30-point performance since November 2018. The Green and Gold also got a career-high six steals from Jackson, as well as a career-best eight points from freshman Eszter Turi and a scrappy eight point, nine assist, seven steal day from sophomore Elisa Mevius. Siena's 45 points allowed against the Peacocks were good for its fewest allowed since a 68-44 win at Rider on Dec. 29, 2022, while the team shot a season-best 47.1 percent from the field.

Siena will look to get to at least 3-2 to start MAAC play for the third time in as many seasons in the current stint of head coach Jim Jabir. The Green and Gold have enjoyed at least five wins in each of the past two January slates under Coach Jabir. Continuing a stretch of four of five games at home between January 6 - 20, the Saints will take the court for their second Kids Day affair in seven days, after falling in a 60-53 decision at Manhattan last Thursday.

Continuing the program's 50^th varsity season, Mevius and junior Anajah Brown continue to rank at or near the top of the MAAC and among the national leaders in multiple statistical categories. Mevius leads the league and is third nationally in steals per-game (4.08), eighth nationally in total steals (49), and 44th nationally in minutes per-game (35.1). Brown leads the league in blocks per-game (1.33) and tied for second in total blocks (16). Mevius' steals mark represents the most swipes by a Siena player since 2000 through 12 games, while Brown is tied for the fourth-most blocks through 12 contests by a Siena player since 2000.

Siena's second most frequent opponent faced in its 50-year varsity history, the Saints and Niagara will gear up for the 88^th overall meeting since 1979, with Siena holding a 51-36 advantage in the series. The Saints split the season series with the Purple Eagles last year, with each team taking the upper hand at its respective home gym. Of note, Siena blew a 20-point lead but survived on the strength of a 55-foot half court buzzer beater from then-freshman Elisa Mevius - dubbed the "Mevius Miracle" - in an 83-81 victory at the UHY Center on February 11, 2023. Niagara has taken four of the last five meetings, while the Saints have won four of the last five matchups at home. Head Coach Jim Jabir is 6-5 all-time against Niagara over his 36-year coaching career - helping the Saints set the program record for points in a contest with a 113-80 win at Niagara on February 26, 1990.

Picked to win the league in the annual MAAC Preseason Coaches Poll and also boasting the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year in junior Aaliyah Parker, Niagara continues to wreak its "Hurricane Havoc" on opponents under ninth-year head coach Jada Pierce, ranking fifth nationally with 24.6 turnovers forced per-game and sixth with 13.3 steals per-contest. Despite this, the team concedes 77.9 points and 48.5 percent from the field per-game. Niagara's only loss in MAAC play thus far has come to frontrunner Fairfield, while the team has won over Iona, Saint Peter's and Mount St. Mary's. Parker leads the team with 11.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per-game, while transfer sophomore Chardonnay Hartley turns in 10.4 points per-contest and First Team All-MAAC selection averages 5.2 points in five contests thus far.