Siena women's basketball playing for MAAC Tournament bye in regular-season finale

The Siena women's basketball team closes the regular season on Saturday afternoon against Marist at UHY Center with a first-round bye in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament on the line.

If the Saints (12-16 overall, 10-9 MAAC) beat the Red Foxes, they'll earn a bye into the quarterfinals next Saturday at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. If Siena loses, it could still get a first-round bye based on other results, but could also slip into needing to play a first-round game next Thursday at Boardwalk Hall.

"There are just things we want to be able to do better in each possession," Siena coach Terry Primm said. "We know that when we do those things, it's going to equate to wins. Of course, winning Saturday puts us in a great position with that first-round bye, which I think we've had the last, maybe, four years."

Siena hasn't had to play a first-round game since 2021.

Siena helped its chances by beating Rider 67-55 on Thursday night in Lawrenceville, N.J. to snap a four-game losing streak. The Saints enter Saturday in a three-way tie for fifth with Mount St. Mary's and Sacred Heart.

The top six seeds get first-round byes in the MAAC Tournament.

Saturday's 2 p.m. game will also be Senior Day to honor graduate guards Garrisen Freeman and Jamariah Turner.  Freeman, a CSU Bakersfield transfer, and Turner, a Stillman transfer, each played one season at Siena.

Graduate guard Valencia Fontenelle-Posson of Guilderland won't participate in the ceremony. She has a year of eligibility left after losing two seasons to knee injuries. She's concluding her fifth season with the Saints.

"They call me Grandma," Fontenelle-Posson said. "Next year, I'll be Great Grandma. I'm accepting my role to be a leader."

In Thursday's win over Rider, Fontenelle-Posson matched her season high with 15 points and freshman Kaiya Rain Tucker had 13 points and a career-high 17 rebounds. Tucker is averaging 11.7 points and 11.8 rebounds over Siena's last eight games.

Ninth-place Marist (11-18, 8-11) is locked into a first-round game in Atlantic City. The Red Foxes are coming off a 48-45 win at Saint Peter's on Thursday night.

This article originally published at Siena women's basketball playing for MAAC Tournament bye in regular-season finale.