Marist University’s president, Kevin Weinman, and mascot, Frankie the Red Fox, raised the stakes of the I-87 rivalry finale for men’s and women’s basketball. In a skit posted Monday, President Weinman proposed an idea to Siena College’s president, Charles “Chuck” Seifert and mascot, Bernie “Saint” Bernard.
His idea entailed adding new color to the losing team’s campus after the women’s squads face off at McCann Arena on Thursday at 7:00 PM, and the men’s teams square off at 7:00 PM on Friday at MVP Arena. If Siena loses, Loudonville will see the college’s “iconic” dome lit red in honor of the Red Foxes. On the other hand if Marist loses, however, the university will light its rotunda green in honor of the Saints.
The video included both presidents, mascots, and, of course, a little trash-talking. President Seifert attempted to fire up both campuses with his remark, “two games, two days, one epic MAAC showdown.”
The home teams found success in the first matchups of the 2024-2025 season. The Saints women’s team dominated in Loudonville with a 62-46 triumph on Thursday, Jan. 30. The Red Foxes men’s team, however, pleased a sold-out McCann Arena on Friday, Jan. 31, with a 72-67 victory on ESPNU adding an iconic game to the storied rivalry.
Starting in the victory over Siena, the injury bug struck Marist, causing a recent skid. Since the rivalry win, the Red Foxes suffered a devastating defeat on a 70-foot heave in Fairfield last Thursday and just their second home loss of the season against Iona on Saturday.
A major factor for these defeats is the loss of the two tallest Red Foxes, who both spent significant time at the five. Senior center Jackson Price missed both games, as did redshirt freshman center Jason Schofield, who was injured during a collision with Siena’s redshirt freshman guard Reid Ducharme and junior forward Brendan Coyle.
Freshman forward Parby Kabamba also left Marist’s most recent game early with a non-contact injury. The training staff wrapped his left lower foot, forcing the freshman out for the remainder of the game. Kabamba’s injury also hurt the team significantly because he backed up freshman center Tarik Watson at the five, who gained significant playing time due to the injuries.
After their trip to Poughkeepsie, Siena won two games in a row at home against Quinnipiac and Saint Peter’s before suffering a crushing two-point defeat against Rider in Lawrenceville.
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The women’s side of the rivalry features two massive win streaks, one for each side. The Red Foxes lead the overall series 40-37 despite dropping the most recent seven games.
The longest win streaks from both sides occurred back-to-back. From 1996 to 2004, Siena won 17 consecutive games. Marist, however, followed with a whopping 25-game win streak from 2005 to 2016.
One team will see their current win streak snapped on Thursday night, as Marist enters off a decisive victory in New Rochelle over Iona. Siena, on the other hand, visits on a two-game win streak against Rider and Saint Peter’s, also with a 12-10 record (9-4 MAAC). The current MAAC standings feature Siena (12-10, 9-4 MAAC) in third and Marist (12-10, 7-5 MAAC) in fifth before tip-off on Thursday night.
Junior center Morgan Lee leads the way for the Red Foxes. She notched her fifth double-double of the season in the first battle of I-87 this year. Lee averages a team-leading 12.2 points per game, 7.7 rebounds per game (4th in the MAAC) and 2.2 blocks per game.
Junior guard Teresa Seppala highlights Siena’s roster after receiving Preseason All-MAAC First Team honors. She leads the Saints in minutes played, 3-point percentage, free-throw percentage and steals. Her team-best 18 points per game also is the third highest in the MAAC.
These players should propel an stage an exciting game for the women’s teams, in addition to a Valentine’s Day showdown between the men’s squads. Presidents of both institutions certainly raised the bar for their fans and campus alike, which makes the Battle of I-87 more important than just bragging rights. The lights will shine bright in the rivalry matchup, figuratively and literally.
Edited by Ben Leeds
Photo from Kira Crutcher
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