Siena men's basketball sticking to the process ahead of final non-conference tilt

LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Siena men's basketball team is about ready for the calendar to turn over to 2024. The Saints have dropped five straight games here the month of December, and sit at just 2-10 on the season. They have one more opportunity, though, to gain a little momentum heading into the new year.

Siena is currently preparing for a road tilt with UMass Saturday afternoon. The Saints have their hands full with an 8-3 Minutemen squad that's averaging 85 points per game. That includes a 100-point outing against fellow MAAC squad Quinnipiac earlier this year.

The Saints are in the midst of their longest stretch between games this year. Saturday's matchup will mark eight days since their last outing, which was a heart-breaking defeat against Brown University that saw a 15-point halftime lead go by the wayside. So, Siena has some extra time to prepare for what will be its final non-conference game of the season.

There's no magic formula to instantly turns things around. The team is focused on trying to make gradual improvements that begin in practice, and will hopefully translate to gameday.

"I'm never thinking (losing) skid," said head coach Carmen Maciariello. "We have a day to get better; we have another day tomorrow to get better; we have another day after that to get better, and then we're at UMass. Next thing you know it's Jan. 5, and we got Fairfield, and we're 1-1 in the MAAC. It's about the process. No matter what the record is, the job does not change: we have to get better every day, and put our time into all those small things that are gonna, you know, add up to wins…especially once we get to conference play."

"We just gotta keep pushin', you know?" added sophomore guard Michael Eley. "I mean, it starts in practice. You gotta practice...harder than you play in a game. But…I just think…we just gotta stay disciplined. This is adversity for us. And we just gotta keep pushin', so we can win our conference games, 'cause that's what really matters the most."

Tip-off between Siena and UMass from Amherst Saturday is set for 1:00 p.m. You can catch the game on NESN.