Saints’ streak snapped at seven

The Siena women’s basketball team saw its seven-game winning streak end with an 84-70 loss to Niagara on Thursday night at the Gallagher Center in Lewiston.

Niagara scored 53 points on 57.9 percent shooting in the second half.

“Our intensity wasn’t great,” Saints coach Jim Jabir told WVR 88.3 FM. “We gave them what they wanted. They got a bunch of layups. I think we got worn down. We played scared. We played on our back feet. We didn’t attack them in the second half.”

Playing against Niagara’s “Hurricane Havoc” defense, Siena committed a season-high 33 turnovers that led to 22 points for the Purple Eagles.

Siena (13-9 overall, 10-4 league) and Niagara (13-11, 10-4) are tied for second place behind Fairfield in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Niagara avenged a 66-64 loss on Jan. 11 in Loudonville.

It was Siena’s first defeat since Jan. 13 at Fairfield. The seven victories in a row were the Saints’ most since 2003.

Siena led 36-31 at halftime, but Niagara outscored the Saints 29-14 in the third quarter for a 6050 lead. The Purple Eagles used a 17-1 run to take a 69-51 advantage in the fourth quarter.

Junior forward Anajah Brown led Siena with 22 points, eight rebounds, seven steals and four blocks. Angel Parker paced Niagara with 13 points and her sister, Aaliyah, added 12 points and five steals.

The Saints play at Canisius on Saturday.

“We’ve got to play hard,” Jabir said. “We’ve got to play with a lot of energy and passion. The same thing we needed tonight that we couldn’t give.”