Game Notes

The Fairfield University women's basketball team concludes a three-game homestand on Sunday when it hosts Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) foe Niagara University at Alumni Hall.  The 1 p.m. game can be heard live on WVOF 88.5  FM as John Cummings and Maria Conlon call all the action.  Fans can also watch live video on-line and follow Livestats.

Sunday is part of the Stags 'Good Student' program, with all youth 12 and under receiving free admission to the game by presenting any school assignment with a grade of 'A' or 'B'.  Following the game members of  the women's basketball team will be available for autographs.

Fairfield snapped a three-game slide on Friday night with a win over Canisius and enter Sunday's game at 11-6 overall and 4-3 in conference action.  The Purple Eagles dropped their 12th consecutive game on Friday at Saint Peter's and are 1-17 overall and 0-7 in league play entering the game.

Fairfield and Niagara are meeting for the 47th time in the history of the two programs with the Stags holding a 29-17 advantage in the all-time series.  The Stags have won back-to-back games over the Purple Eagles, both at the Gallagher Center.  Niagara snapped a six-game series losing streak with a 52-49 win at the Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard last season.  Fairfield is 11-3 since the 2004-05 season and are 6-1 against the Purple Eagles under the direction of Joe Frager.

Today marks the second MAAC season series that the Stags are concluding, in just the eighth conference game of the year.  Fairfield swept the series against Canisius, and can do so with a win tonight, while the Stags have yet to play three opponents (Saint Peter's, Marist, Rider).

Fairfield used a pair of 15 point runs, and a stifling defensive effort to earn a 68-38 win over Niagara when the teams met on January 4. The Stags broke open an 8-6 game with a 19-0 first-half run and stymied an early second-half surge by Niagara with a second 15-0 run.  The Purple Eagles shot just 28.1 percent in the game and did not have a player score more than six points.  The Stags shot 47.1 percent on the night, with 7-16 from behind the arc.  Katelyn Linney shot 10-14 from the field, with five three-pointers, for 27 points, while Joelle Nawrocki added 12 and a career-high six assists.  Both teams recorded 36 rebounds in the game, with Niagara having a 13-7 edge on the offensive glass. The Stags committed 12 turnovers, while Niagara had 16 in the contest.

Niagara has lost 12 consecutive games and its average margin of defeat in conference play is 26.9 points.  The Purple Eagles have been without leading scorer Kayla Stroman, 12.0 points per game for the last 10 games.  Liz Flooks is the only other player in double figures, averaging 11 a game and leads the team in rebounds at 4.6 a contest.  Meghan Waterman has a team-best 39 assists entering play on Sunday.

Taryn Johnson and Katie Cizynski have been hot from the floor in the last two games, combining to go 22-26 for 46 points.  Cizynski is 11-12 in the two outings (91.7%) while Johnson is 11-14 (78.6%).  In conference play, 26 minutes a game, Johnson is shooting 55.9 percent, and is now shooting 51 percent for the year.  Cizynski, 9.5 minutes per game (six games), is shooting 63.2 percent in league games and 52 percent for the year.