LOUDONVILLE, NY - Riding back-to-back victories, Siena Women's Basketball hits the road Thursday night for the latest version of the I-87 rivalry game. The Saints (12-10, 9-4 MAAC) and Marist Red Foxes (12-10, 7-5 MAAC) meet from McCann Arena in Poughkeepsie, NY, with tip-off set for 7 p.m.
Geoff Brault and Steve Eggink have the call on ESPN+, while Joe Puccio and Steve Amedio will be courtside for the local broadcast on WVCR 88.3 FM. Tickets, international stream, live stats, and courtside X updates can be found by clicking on the corresponding links.
Siena's 2-0 record last week kept the Green & Gold in the hunt for a top-three seed in the upcoming Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournament as the team is currently in third place at 9-4 in league play. The Saints' recent offensive surge has taken the team into the top-three in the league rankings, averaging 65.5 PPG on the league's fourth-ranked shooting offense (42.0%), and fourth-ranked three-point attack (33.3%).
While just one attempt from the free throw line Saturday,
Teresa Seppala cashed in on her lone look - extending her streak to 32 consecutive made from the charity stripe. The junior remains the national leader from the line, shooting at a 97.1% clip this season (66-68).
The latest spark plug for Green and Gold came courtesy of
KB Hadley, who poured in 12 points Saturday over 24 minutes in reserve. The junior did so on 5-11 shooting, and also dished out a pair of assists to no turnovers. It was Hadley's first time in double figures since dropping 15 against UAlbany on Dec. 7, and her most minutes played since clocking 22 against Quinnipiac on Jan. 9.
Having posted a 1-1 record with a loss 80-49 at Fairfield (2/6) and a 63-43 win at Iona (2/8) since last facing Siena, Marist now owns a 12-10 overall record, and a 7-5 mark in league play - good for fifth in the standings. Morgan Lee and Lexie Tarul top the team in points - averaging 12.2 and 11.4 per game, respectively. Lee also leads the team with 7.7 rebounds per game. Last time out against the Saints, Lee was the lone Red Fox to score in double figures, dropping 19 en route to a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double. Across the league, Marist's offense ranks eighth in PPG (56.8) and second in opponents PPG (57.6), with teams shooting just 37.4% from the field and its defense.
The Red Foxes enter Thursday with a slight 42-39 edge in the all-time series. After dropping nine straight in the series from 2017-18 to 2020-21, Siena has swept Marist in each of the last three seasons, and collected one win earlier this year, for seven straight wins. Currently riding its longest winning streak in the series since winning 10 straight from 2000-01 to 2004-05, the Saints have won each of the last seven games by an average of 14.7 points.
In Siena's recent 62-46 win over Marist on Jan. 30 in Loudonville,
Anajah Brown led the team with 17 points and nine rebounds, while Seppala scored 16 and became the 31st player to reach the programs 1,000-point club. The Saints held Marist to just 32% shooting from the floor - the third-lowest an opponent has shot against the team in a game this season - en route to allowing their lowest point total in a game this year.
Following Marist, the Saints return home to host Sacred Heart at 6 p.m. on Sat., Feb. 15. Tickets for the Saturday night game can be purchased
here.
