LOUDONVILLE, NY – Siena Women's Basketball could not have picked a better time to embark on one of its most rigorous road trips of the season. Currently enjoying their longest win streak in 21 years, the Saints (13-8, 10-3) begin their annual Western New York swing in search of a season sweep of MAAC rival Niagara (12-11, 9-4) on Thursday, February 15 in Niagara University, NY, with tip-off set for 6 PM inside the Gallagher Center.   

Saturday's contest can be viewed on ESPN+, and can be heard locally on 88.3 FM The Saints or anywhere on iHeartRadio. Pregame coverage tips off at 5:30 PM, with the radio "Voice of the Saints" Joe Mixie 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 collected its seventh straight win with a 74-55 victory over Quinnipiac last Saturday, with the Saints completing their first-ever season sweep of the Bobcats and picking up their first-ever home victory against their MAAC rivals. Following a season-best 18-point lead, The Saints saw nine different players score, led by a career-high 13 points from freshman Alden Yergey and 11 points from senior Ahniysha Jackson. Siena shot an impressive 48 percent from the field and recorded a season-best 33 points off the bench.

The Green and Gold started 7-3 in the MAAC in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 2001-02 and 2002-03 campaigns, and have started 10-3 in the league for the first time since the 2002-03 campaign. The Saints have also won seven straight games for the first time since winning ten-in-a-row during that season, which marks the program's most recent appearance in the MAAC Championship Game.

The Saints have recorded 70 points or more in each of the last eight games, which marks the team's longest such streak with 70+ points since the 1998-99 campaign, and tied for the third-longest streak in program history. The Green and Gold have also shot 40 percent or better from the floor in ten straight games.

After recording a career-high 33 points on February 8 at Iona, junior Anajah Brown took home her second MAAC Player of the Week award on February 12, becoming the first Siena player to win multiple MAAC Player of the Week awards since the 2016-17 season. Brown's 33-point outburst against Iona on February 8 was good for only the 15th single-game performance of 33 points or more in program history, and just the fourth this millennium. It was the first single-game output of 33 points since 2017, and the second 30-point performance by a Saint this season.

Continuing the program's 50^th varsity season, sophomore Elisa Mevius and 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 both steals per-game (4.33), and total steals (91), and is also 42nd nationally in minutes per-game (35.2). The Rendsburg, Germany native also now leads the league in assists per-game (4.7) and is second in the MAAC in total assists (98). Brown leads the league in both blocks per-game (1.57) and is second in total blocks (33). Mevius is currently fourth all-time in single-season history in steals, and is now just eight steals away from setting the single-season record. She has also recorded the second-most assists by a Siena player through 20 games in the last 23 years, while Brown is tied for the third-most blocks over that time.

Looking for its first season sweep over Niagara since the 2016-17 season and its third sweep over a conference opponent this season, Siena will battle its longtime MAAC rivals for the 89^th time, with the Saints holding a 52-36 advantage in the all-time series since 1979.  Winners of two straight over the Purple Eagles, Siena took a tight 66-64 win on its Kids Day on January 11 to begin the season series, with sophomore Teresa Seppala executing a sideline out of bound play to score the go-ahead bucket with 22 seconds remaining. Jackson led four players in double-digit scoring with 17 points, while Mevius added 15 points, Seppala provided 11 points and eight boards, and freshman Ciany Conyers added ten points off the bench. Siena shot nearly 41 percent from the field and scored 16 points off 22 Niagara turnovers. The Green and Gold now aim for their first win at Niagara since Feb. 16, 2017 - also the last time that the team recorded a sweep during its "Buffalo Trip". Head Coach Jim Jabir is 7-5 all-time against the Purple Eagles, and notably led his team to set the program single-game scoring record in a 113-80 win at Niagara on February 26, 1990.

Led by ninth year head coach Jada Pierce and paced by its "Hurricane Havoc" style of play, Niagara has won six straight following a 6-11 start to the year. The Purple Eagles have gone over 80 points in five of those six wins, including most recently an 88-63 road beatdown at Manhattan. The team continues to lead the nation with just over 26 turnovers forced per-game, ranks second nationally in steals, 17^th nationally in offensive rebounds, and also leads the MAAC in turnover margin, free throws made per-game, and bench points per-game. MAAC Preseason Player of the Year Aaliyah Parker leads the team with 11.1 points per-game, while seven other players average between 5.5 and 9.5 points per-contest.