LOUDONVILLE, NY – Siena Women's Basketball returns home Saturday, Feb. 21, at 2 p.m. to host Fairfield in its annual Gold Rush Game at the UHY Center. This year's event carries special significance, as the Saints have partnered with community sponsor KeyBank to raise awareness for pediatric cancer and support local nonprofit Play It Foreward 518.
In collaboration with KeyBank, the first 500 fans in attendance will receive gold rally towels. Spectators are encouraged to wear gold, and gold ribbons will be available on-site for fans to wear in solidarity with children and families impacted by pediatric cancer.
Siena will also raffle off a gold basketball signed by head coach
Terry Primm. Fans who make a donation at the game to Play It Foreward 518 will be entered into the drawing, with all proceeds benefiting the organization's mission to support pediatric cancer patients and their families throughout the Capital Region. KeyBank will present an additional donation to Play It Foreward 518 at halftime.
The Saints enter Saturday still in contention for a first-round bye in the MAAC Championships, currently sitting sixth in the league standings at 9-8. Siena is tied with Mount St. Mary's but holds the head-to-head tiebreaker following a 69-59 win on Jan. 1 at the UHY Center. The top six teams in the MAAC Championships earn a bye past the opening round on Mar. 5, when the No. 7 seed faces No. 10 and No. 8 meets No. 9.
Kaiya Rain Tucker extended her career-best double-figure scoring streak to four games with a 16-point performance against Iona on Thursday. The freshman narrowly missed her third straight double-double after grabbing nine rebounds and is averaging 15.0 points and 10.8 rebounds over her last four contests.
Alden Yergey also contributed a career-high five rebounds and matched a career best with four assists, marking the third four-assist game of her career and second against the Gaels.
MAAC-leading Fairfield enters the matchup at 23-4 overall and 17-1 in league play. The Stags rank first nationally with 12.1 made three-pointers per game and fourth in the country shooting 38.3% from beyond the arc, led by Meghan Andersen (43.3%) and Jillian Huerter (40.6%). Six-time MAAC Player of the Week Kaety L'Amoreaux leads the conference and ranks 33rd nationally with 18.8 points per game. Fairfield also received seven votes in the latest AP Top 25 Poll.
Saturday marks the 89th meeting between the longtime rivals, with Fairfield holding a 53-35 advantage in the all-time series. The Stags return to Loudonville for the first time since Feb. 22, 2024. Siena has won two of the last three meetings at home and looks to rebound from an 86-50 loss in the most recent matchup on Jan. 19 in Fairfield.
Joe Puccio, Conner Fenlon, and Steve Jones will have the call on ESPN+, while Joe Lemery makes his WVCR 88.3 FM debut alongside Steve Amedio. Tickets, live stats, and courtside X updates are available online.
Following Saturday's contest, Siena will close out its regular-season road slate at Rider on Thursday, Feb. 26 at 6 p.m.
