HAMDEN, CT – Winners of each of its last two and four of its last five contests overall, Siena Women's Basketball is set to begin a stretch of three of its next four games away from home to end the month of January and begin February. Following a Thursday evening bye, the Saints (8-8, 5-3) head Southeast to face MAAC foe Quinnipiac (7-10, 4-4) at M&T Bank Arena on Saturday, January 27, with tip-off set for 4 PM in Hamden, Connecticut.
Saturday's contest can be viewed on ESPN+, with Steve Lenox, Dianne Nolan, and Billy Mecca on the call, and can be heard locally on 88.3 FM The Saints or anywhere on iHeartRadio. Pregame coverage tips off at 3:30 PM, 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.
Siena most recently walked away with a 21-point victory at home for the second straight game, defeating defending MAAC champion Iona, 77-56, at the UHY Center last Saturday. The Saints hit the 70-point threshold and went over 40 points in the second half for the third straight game, with junior
Anajah Brown going for 19 points and ten points for her third consecutive double-double. Sophomore
Teresa Seppala went for a team-high 20 points as the only Saint to log multiple 20-point games this season, while freshman
Ciany Conyers added a collegiate-best 13 points and sophomore
London Gamble added ten points. The Green and Gold shot a season-best 49.2 percent from the field with eight three's and a nearly-perfect 9-10 from the free throw line.
Brown's performance earned her both her first career MAAC weekly award and the team's first accolade of the season when she was named the MAAC Player of the Week on January 22. The Norristown, Pennsylvania product finished off a stretch of double-doubles in three straight games for the second time in her collegiate career, also doing so Dec. 5-19 of 2022.
Siena will look to get to at least 6-3 to start MAAC play for the second straight year under 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 the program's 50th 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 second nationally in steals per-game (4.31), third nationally in total steals (69), and 43rd nationally in minutes per-game (35.17). Brown leads the league in both blocks per-game (1.7) and total blocks (27). Mevius' steals mark represents the most swipes by a Siena player since 2000 through 16 games, while her 65 assists are tied for the seventh most. Brown holds the second-most blocks through 16 contests by a Siena player since 2000.
Siena has had at least one player finish in double-figure scoring in 123 straight contests dating back to a 52-48 loss at Manhattan on 2/3/19.
A monster 31-point performance from senior
Ahniysha Jackson led the Saints to a 64-45 victory over Saint Peter's on January 6, 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. 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.
The 22nd all-time meeting since Quinnipiac joined the MAAC prior to the 2013-14 season, the Bobcats own a 19-2 advantage. Having lost four straight in the series, Siena will look to once again claim victory on the road over the Bobcats. The Saints' only two wins in the series came at M&T Bank Arena in 2020 and 2021, with Siena logging 68-60 and 63-60 victories, respectively. Siena played QU to a close 68-63 road loss last season before falling at home on Senior Day, 69-52. Seppala (17) and Brown (13) went in double-figures during the first meeting, while Gamble (12) did so during the most recent contest. Coach Jabir is 0-4 all-time against the Bobcats, with all four meetings coming while coach of the Saints.
Led by 29
th year head coach Tricia Fabbri, the Bobcats have dropped their last three and four of their last five contests, taking a sweep on the Buffalo trip last weekend at Canisius and Niagara, and falling at home to MAAC frontrunner Fairfield Thursday evening, 74-59. Picked to finish fifth in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, QU boasts the reigning MAAC Rookie of the Week in Ava Sollenne, and is steadied offensively by freshmen Karson Martin and Anna Foley, who average 12.9 and 11.2 points per-game, respectively. Quinnipiac's roster includes seven true freshmen and ten overall underclassmen.
