It will be a battle between Metro Atlantic Athletic opponents when the Siena Saints (9-6) welcome the Fairfield Stags (7-6) to Times Union Center. The game begins at 7:00 pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 7 and will air on EFC and ES3.
The Saints lost to Manhattan 92-87 on Monday. Javion Ogunyemi recorded 26 points and 11 rebounds, earning his fourth double-double of the year. The Stags, meanwhile, are coming off a 97-85 win over Dartmouth on Monday. Marcus Gilbert led the team in scoring by registering 21 points on 6-for-11 shooting.
Ogunyemi has taken his game to another level recently for the Saints, averaging 17.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 0.8 steals, and 3.2 blocks over the last five games. On the other side, the Stags have been led by Tyler Nelson. He has been on a tear, averaging 18.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.0 steals, and 3.0 three-pointers in the same time frame.
Siena could dominate the offensive glass in this matchup, as it’s ranked 19th in the nation in OR% at 38.4%. Alternatively, Fairfield ranks 327th in the nation on the defensive backboards with a DR% of 65.1%.
Siena is an eight-point favorite against Fairfield and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is set at 156 points. The Saints are hoping to build on their records of 9-6 Straight Up (SU) and 4-4-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Siena has gotten to the free throw line often this season. They average 17 made free throws per game, which is 36th-best in Division I. Teams have a tough time keeping Siena off of the offensive glass. They rank 44th in Division I in offensive rebounds.
On the other side, Fairfield has a SU record of 7-6 and an ATS record of 4-4. They sport the 48th-ranked scoring offense in the country, averaging 80.4 points per game. The Stags rely heavily on three-pointers on offense, ranking 50th in the nation with 128 made (9.0 per game).
This is the first meeting of the season for Siena and Fairfield. The last time they played, Fairfield came out on top, moving its SU record against Siena to 6-4 in their most recent head-to-head meetings. The Stags also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-3-1. Neither team was able to hold the edge in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers over the course of their latest five contests.
Predictions: SU Winner – Siena, ATS Winner – Fair, O/U – Over
Notes
Siena is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games.
Siena is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Siena is 1-4-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Fairfield.
Siena is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Fairfield.
Fairfield averages 80.4 points per game (ranked 48th). Siena, on the other hand, allows 74.1 points per game (ranked 233rd).
With 72.9 possessions and 1.062 points per possession, the Siena Saints perform worse on both metrics than the Fairfield Stags. Fairfield averages 75.5 possessions and 1.065 points per possession.
Fairfield has an average effective field goal percentage of 54.4%. Siena is an even 1-1 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Fairfield ranks 32nd in assists, recording 16.9 per game. Siena performs worse at 182nd with 13.5 assists per game.
Siena, the 86th-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 39.1 rebounds per game. Fairfield does worse, ranked 241st with 35.6.
Fairfield makes an average of 6.5 steals per game. Siena has a solid 7-3 record when it allows at least 6 steals.
