NEW ROCHELLE, NY – Winners of five straight, Siena Women's Basketball begins a new week entangled in a stretch of four of five games away from home over a three-week span. The Saints (11-8, 8-3) head south to New Rochelle, New York in search of a season sweep of defending MAAC champion Iona (7-13, 2-9) on Thursday, February 8, 2024, with tip-off set for 7 PM at Hynes Athletic Center.

Saturday's contest can be viewed on ESPN+, with Grant DelVecchio and Adona Thaqi on the call, and can be heard locally on 88.3 FM The Saints or anywhere on iHeartRadio. Pregame coverage tips off at 6:30 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's fifth straight win came in the form of a 71-67 road triumph at Marist last Saturday, with the Saints surviving a late upset from the Red Foxes to move to .500 in road play this season. Sophomore Teresa Seppala exploded for 15 fourth quarter points to tie a career-best with 24 points, while freshman Ciany Conyers also tied a career best with 13 points. Senior Ahniysha Jackson went for 14 points, while junior Anajah Brown added 11 boards.

The Green and Gold have now started 7-3 in the MAAC in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 2001-02 and 2002-03 campaigns., and look for their first 9-3 conference start since the 2015-16 campaign. Siena last won six straight games during the 2016-17 season.

Siena won four games by 18 points or more from January 18 - February 1, marking the first time the team has held that large of a victory margin in four straight games since the 1990-91 season, and only the fifth time in program history. The Saints have also won three straight home games by 20 or more points for the first time since the 2001-02 season.

The Saints have recorded 70 points or more in each of the last six games, and have gone over 40 points in the second half in each of those games. This marks the team's longest such streak with 70+ points since the 2000-01 campaign, and tied for the fifth-longest streak in program history. The Green and Gold have also shot 40 percent or better from the floor in eight straight games.

The team's current five game win streak is tied for the second-longest win streak under head coach Jim Jabir, only to a seven-game win streak during the 1987 season from January 18 - February 10.

The team featured nine in the scoring column against Manhattan on February 1. The team has had eight or more players score in a game eight times this season, most recently on February 1 against Manhattan. Siena has had at least one player finish in double-figure scoring in 126 straight contests dating back to a 52-48 loss at Manhattan on 2/3/19.

After averaging a double-double on the week, Brown earned 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.

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 steals per-game (4.26) third nationally in total steals (81), and 38th nationally in minutes per-game (35.4). The Rendsburg, Germany native is also third in the league in assists (4.3). Brown leads the league in both blocks per-game (1.63) and total blocks (31). Mevius is now tied for ninth in Siena single-season history in steals, while her assists mark (82) is good for the fifth-most by a Siena player through 19 games since 2000. Brown's blocks are tied for the fourth-most by a Siena player during that time.

 Siena prepares for the 79^th all-time meeting with the Gaels since 1980, with the Saints holding a 45-33 all-time advantage. Siena looks for a win at Hynes Athletic Center for the first time in two years following a 21-point rout in the first meeting of the year. The Saints took a 77-56 victory at UHY Center on January 20, with four Saints finishing in double-figures. Seppala went for 20 points, while Brown registered a double-double with 19 points and ten rebounds, freshman Conyers added a career-high 13 points, and sophomore London Gamble added ten points. The Saints also shot a season-best 49.2 percent from the field. Despite the win, the Gaels have won four of the last five overall. Coach Jabir is 2-5 all-time against Iona, with all seven prior meetings coming as coach of the Saints.

Under the direction of first year head coach Angelika Szumilo, Iona looks to erase a five-game losing skid, which began with the loss at Siena on January 20. The Gaels have failed to score more than 56 points while facing four of the top-five teams in the MAAC over that time, going under 50 points in each of their last two games. Sierra DeAngelo leads the team with 11.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per-contest, while Natalia Otkhmezuri is also in double-figures with 11.1 points per-game. The Gaels are 4-5 at home this season, but have dropped three straight since a 68-62 win over Saint Peter's on January 18.