PISCATAWAY, NJ — Siena Women's Basketball pushed its Power Conference foe to the end Monday evening. In the second-ever meeting between the Saints and Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Rutgers fended off Siena for a 67-61 win at Jersey Mike's Arena.
 
Siena's (0-6) bench provided a notable contribution with 35 points, but the Scarlet Knights (5-2) capitalized on 22 of its 67 points from the free throw line, compared to four of 61 for Siena.
 
Valencia Fontenelle-Posson scored 15 points, including three 3-pointers, while recording three rebounds. Francesca Schiro added 13 points, hitting six of her 12 shot attempts. Zyriah Price contributed defensively with two blocks and two rebounds. Garrisen Freeman grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out five assists, alongside eight points. Freeman's 10 rebounds were one shy of tying a career-high.
 
Trailing 9-0 early in the first, Fontenelle-Posson scored on a fast-break layup at 7:20, igniting a brief scoring push. Despite a strong effort from Siena's bench, which contributed 10 points, they ended the quarter trailing 25–14.
 
Siena gained momentum in the second quarter with a pivotal 3-pointer by Freeman at 8:22, narrowing the gap to six points. As the quarter progressed, Siena continued to close the deficit with a key 3-pointer from Fontenelle-Posson at 2:55, eventually tying the score at 31 with a layup by Schiro at 1:55. Despite the Scarlet Knights briefly regaining the lead, Siena ended the quarter ahead, 17-8, bringing the game to a 33-31 score in favor of the Scarlet Knights at halftime—helping erase a 16-point first-half deficit.
 
Siena opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer by Schiro at 9:09 to gain its first lead over the Scarlet Knights. A later 3-pointer from Fontenelle-Posson at 6:02 further extended Siena's advantage. Despite the Scarlet Knights tying the game at 39-39, Siena responded with a fast-break layup by Genevive Wedemeyer at 2:35 to regain the lead. Siena eventually led by as many as four in the third quarter.
 
In a tense final minute, Siena saw its lead slip as the Scarlet Knights tied the game at 43-43 through free throws. However, Wedemeyer scored a crucial layup with 26 seconds left, briefly putting Siena ahead. The Scarlet Knights answered with a layup at 4 seconds remaining, leading to a 45-45 tie at the end of the quarter.
 
Siena mounted a late-game push, highlighted by Jamariah Turner's three-pointer at 0:45, closing the gap against the Scarlet Knights. Despite these efforts, Siena trailed by six points in the final moments. The Scarlet Knights capitalized on free throws, securing the win 67-61 as the game concluded.
 
Siena will remain on the road to take on Cornell on Tuesday, Nov. 25. The game will take place at Newman Arena at Bartels Hall in Ithaca, NY. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.