CORK, IRELAND – It took a "family" effort by the Siena Women's Basketball team as the Saints kickstart its first foreign tour in seven years by shaking off a rusty start to roll to a 77-57 win against a mix mash of players from the Irish Super League on Friday night at the Neptune Basketball Club. 

It was the first trip outside of the United States for the Saints since 2017 when the team visited Cuba. 

It also marked a new start at the head coaching position for the recently promoted Terry Primm, who had been Jim Jabir's top assistant for the past four seasons in helping Siena earn back-to-back finishes in the MAAC Semifinals. 

The Irish team featured players from Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell and Catalyst Fr. Mathews, who each compete in the top tier of women's basketball that is recognized by FIBA and is an active member of Basketball Ireland. 

The Saints came out of the gate slow, struggling to find their shot and fell behind 10-0 to open the game.  Teresa Seppala scored all 11 of her points in the first quarter to help keep the Saints tied at 16 through the first 10 minutes. 

Siena was picked up by new guard additions in freshman Aniya Hooker and junior KB Hadley. 

The two were defensive pests, combining for seven steals.  Offensively, each showed their versatility with four three-pointers made and several driving scores to the hoop to help Siena hold a two-point halftime lead and eventually open up a 20-point lead in the second half. 

"It felt like once the ball started moving, that freed up space for those guys to make plays," said coach Primm.

"It was such an interesting game.  You got to credit them for making plays. Baby (Ahniysha Jackson) got hot from three. Baby and Aniya (Hooker) were steadily attacking the rim.  We got some good post ups, too.  Naj (Brown) got some good touches down there.  Our system relies on team so the more that they got it up the floor and thought less about themselves—the more we scored.  So, this was something to build on and I was proud of them."    

Jackson really began to find her shooting rhythm, connecting on four three pointers including one with 2:33 left in the third quarter that gave Siena a 52-43 advantage.  The Saints also began outwork their opponent on the boards with freshman Zoe Richardson grabbing 10 in her debut while Brown added 10 points to go along with seven rebounds.  Siena extended their lead to 70-55 with 3:16 left in the game and outscored Team Cork 42-24 after halftime. 

Siena had arrived early Tuesday morning in Dublin and had already experienced the enriching culture that Ireland has to offer including the Cliffs of Moher, a sheepdog whistler, a scenic view of the mountains, grasslands and bogs of Connemara Park and the quaint town of Adare. 

"Siena supports us tremendously," coach Primm added. "President Seifert, and I call him Dr., [John] D'Argenio are super supportive and all the athletic administration. To get a chance to come over with them and even our extended family—we're very grateful for it and we're looking forward to the next couple of days that we have."

The trip has other exciting planned sightseeing including visits to see the pristine coastline drive around the Ring of Kerry, the medieval stronghold of the Blarney Castle, the religious manuscript Book of Kells and the famous Guinness Storehouse brewing company as well as another exhibition game against the Liffey Celtics on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. local time / 3:30 p.m. EST) in Kildare at the Leixlip Amenities Centre.

Fans can follow the Saints throughout their tour of Ireland through the team's social media pages, as well as the team website at sienasaints.com. Fans are encouraged to follow the Siena Women's Basketball team's twitter (@Siena_WBB), Instagram (@sienawbb), and Facebook (@SienaWomensBasketball) pages for regular updates throughout the trip including picture, video, and live game coverage posts. Additionally, various members of the Saints will continue daily takeovers of the team's Instagram story through Aug. 14.