Siena Sneaks Past Fairfield for Semifinal Berth
MAAC Sports
Bridgeport, Conn. - Serena Moore and Christina Centeno hit four free throws in the final 30 seconds to lift Siena past Fairfield 36-33 in the lowest scoring game in MAAC Tournament history.
The Saints advance to face top-seed and five-time defending MAAC Champion Marist in the semifinals Saturday at 11:30 a.m.
Fairfield had the ball and a one-point lead (33-32) with 48 seconds left when Moore fouled Desiree Pina, but Pina missed the front end of the ensuing one-and-one and Moore was fouled 18 seconds later. She calmly hit both free throws to give Siena its first lead since 4-2.
Taryn Johnson then missed a potential go-ahead runner with eight seconds left, Missy Ramsey secured the rebound, and Centeno secured the win with a pair of free throws with 2.8 on the clock.
The 69 combined points were one fewer than the 70 Siena and Rider combined to score in last year's Championships.
Fairfield led 15-7 after a shockingly bad first half in which the two teams combined to make 9-52 field goals. Siena had just three of those, but remained within striking distance thanks to a solid defensive performance.
Joelle Nawrocki's 3-pointer early in the second half pushed Fairfield's lead to 20-10, forcing a Siena timeout. The Stags remained in firm control, 28-20, with 9:22 to play, and the lead looked comfortable at 31-26 at the 4-minuute mark given the tempo, but Siena made its move at the right time.
Missy Ramsey's step-back 3-pointer from the right wing with 3:14 to play made the score 31-30 and brought the Siena bench to its feet. It was the biggest shot of the game, and the biggest of the senior guard's career. Although Pina answered with a long jumper on the other end, Moore's two free throws with 1:21 left set up the final stretch run.
Maja Gerlyng scored 14 of Siena's 36 points to lead all players. Moore struggled mightily from the field (2-14), but ended with eight points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. Pina led the Stags with 11 points.
Siena won despite shooting 23 percent (11-47) for the game. Fairfield didn't fare much better, connecting on just 27 percent of its shots (13-49). The difference came at the free throw line where Siena made 12-14, and Fairfield just 4-10.