POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — Siena Women's Basketball nearly completed a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback but came up just short in a 75–72 setback to Marist at McCann Arena. The Saints erased a late deficit with a dominant final-period run before a pair of late Red Foxes three-pointers proved decisive.
Siena finished with 34 points in the paint and rallied with a 14–0 run in the fourth quarter to briefly take the lead. Marist countered by hitting 10 three-pointers, including the go-ahead basket in the final seconds.
Francesca Schiro led all scorers with 26 points and nine rebounds, marking her seventh 20-point performance of the season.
Caydence Hadley added 15 points while going a perfect 5-for-5 at the line, and
Nicole Melious chipped in 11 points with three triples.
Kaiya Rain Tucker contributed 12 points, six rebounds, and five blocks.
Siena set the tone early, trading leads throughout the first quarter behind Schiro's hot start. The freshman poured in 12 points in the opening period, capped by Hadley's buzzer-beating free throws to give the Saints a 20–19 edge.
The game remained tight through the second quarter as Melious knocked down a key three to regain the lead before Siena headed into halftime tied at 37.
After Marist surged ahead in the third quarter behind timely perimeter shooting to build a 59–51 lead, Siena saved its best stretch for last.
The Saints came out firing in the fourth, sparked by Melious' go-ahead three with 4:26 remaining during a 14–0 run that flipped the game. Siena controlled the paint, outscoring Marist 10–4 on close-range attempts in the quarter while tightening up defensively.
With Siena trailing by two in the final minute, Schiro drove for a layup to pull the Saints within one, but a late Marist three at 13 seconds put the Red Foxes back up by five. Hadley closed the gap to three with a layup with 0.6 seconds left, and an offensive foul by Marist allowed Siena one last chance that came up short.
Siena (7–12, 5–5 MAAC) returns home Thursday, Jan. 29, to host Niagara at 6 p.m. at the UHY Center.
