Saints to start vs. familiar foe
Delayed campaign opens vs. same team that ended last season
The Siena women’s basketball team ended last season with a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinal loss to Fairfield, a game that turned out to be one of last in the country before college sports shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“I remember after the game we were really happy we had the chance to play and finish the season because other teams didn’t get that chance,” junior guard Margo Peterson recalled Thursday. “I think we just let the game get away from us, but I think we’re definitely ready to play tomorrow.”
Nine months after that day in Atlantic City, the Saints are finally ready to begin their 2020-21 season against those same Stags at 7 on Friday at Alumni Recreation Center. They’ll play Fairfield again on Saturday at the ARC because the MAAC shifted to a back-toback schedule on account of the ongoing COVID -19 situation.
It will be the area’s first college basketball game this season.
It’s been a long wait to return to action for the Saints, who had to quarantine for two weeks from Nov. 17 to Nov. 30 because of a positive coronavirus test. That wiped out their nonconference schedule.
“It was a struggle trying to get back into the swing of things,” Peterson said. “But once we started practicing
normal, everyone just kind of came together and I think we’ve been doing really good since.”
Jaques said the Saints held their 30th practice on Thursday, even with the quarantine that forced players to stay in their rooms for 14 days.
“It’s pretty amazing we’ve gotten as far as we have and it’s really exciting to have the opportunity to play again,” Jaques said. “Our practices have progressed and gotten better and better. … (Fairfield) is a really tough scout for our first game, but at this point, we don’t care. We’re just looking forward to getting on the court and having a chance to compete against somebody else.”
Fairfield (1-1) has the advantage of two games of experience. The Stags lost to Umass 71-50 before beating Hofstra 75-55 last Sunday.
Fairfield is led by junior forward Lou Lopez- Senechal, the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year. She was named conference Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 22 points in the two games and shooting 11-for-15 from 3-point range.
The Stags were picked second in the MAAC preseason coaches’ poll. Siena was chosen sixth, but at least one fellow MAAC coach says the Saints are severely underrated.
“I think people have kind of slept on Siena,” said Marist’s Brian Giorgis, who has led the Red Foxes to 10 NCAA tournaments. “They’ve beaten all those (MAAC) teams and they’ve got probably more people back than all of them.”
The Saints, who went 11-20 last season, graduated only guard Sabrina Piper from that team. They added graduate transfer Isis Young, who will start at point guard in her first game since she played at Syracuse in 2018-19. She missed all last season at Fordham with a knee injury.
“Honestly, I’m extremely excited,” Young said. “I’m just trying to be the opposite of that and be as calm as possible … before tip-off
and then unleash. That’s going to help me keep all those emotions in and not shoot five airballs in the first few minutes.”
Jaques said she plans to start Young, Peterson and junior center Lala Watts on Friday. Jaques said she has seven players good enough to start.