Taryn Johnson (Brockton, Mass.) recorded her second  double-double of the year to pace the Fairfield University women's basketball team to a 52-39 win over Lafayette College at the Kirby Sports Center Sunday afternoon. The victory improves the Stags to 4-1 on the year, while the Leopards fall to 2-4.

Joelle Nawrocki (Unionville, Conn.) hit the Stags only three-pointer of the game with 4:22 to play in the game, to extend a five-point lead to eight, 46-38. Desiree Pina (Plainville, Conn.) followed with a basket in the paint on the next possession and Fairfield finished the game with a 9-1 run to earn the victory.

Fairfield scored 10 of the first 14 points of the second-half to extend a five-point halftime advantage to 11 points, 34-23, just under six minutes into the period. Christelle Akon-Akech (Lyon, France) scored four of those points, a career-high, and had two steals during the stretch. The rookie finished with four steals and six points, in a career-high 13 minutes of action.

Johnson hit 6-11 from the field to finish with a season-high 18 points, including a 6-8 effort from the free throw line. She pulled down 13 rebounds, eight offensive, in the game, and now has 10 or more caroms in three straight games.

Johnson got the Stags going in the first moments of the game, scoring the teams first seven points. The effort helped Fairfield build an 8-5 edge just under six minutes into the contest, with Laura Vetra (Riga, Latvia) hitting a free throw for the Stags eighth point.

The Leopards answered with five points in a 20-second span, to take a 10-8 lead with 13:02 to play in the first-half. The Stags scored four consecutive points for a 12-10 lead, before a basket by Lauren Jackson (Argyle, Texas) and a free throw by Sarah McGorry (Doylestown, Pa.) put the Leopards ahead 13-10, with 8:55 to play in the half.

The Stags defense did not allow another Lafayette point for nearly seven minutes, as the Stags scored nine straight points to build a 21-13 lead, capped by a basket from Katie Cizynski (Southbury, Conn.). Elizabeth Virgin (Novato, Calif.) ended the Leopards drought with a basket at the 2:19 mark and started a 7-3 half ending Lafayette run, which cut Fairfield's halftime lead to 24-19

Fairfield's defense held Lafayette to just 24.5 percent shooting on the afternoon, with the Leopards hitting 13-53 from the field and 2-13 from behind the arc. The Stags also forced 20 turnovers in the game, coming away with 12 steals and four blocked shots.

The Stags shot just 34.5 percent from the field, 20-58, and hit 1-7 from downtown. Fairfield committed 19 turnovers, six of them for Lafayette steals, and had two shots blocked in the contest.

The Stags continue their four-game road swing on Thursday, December 2, when they play at Villanova. That game is set to begin at 7 p.m.