Taryn Johnson (Brockton, Mass.) recorded a career-high 17 rebounds, and her fourth double-double of the season, to help pace the Fairfield University women's basketball team to a 48-37 win over visiting Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) foe Niagara University Sunday afternoon. The Stags have now held five opponents to 40 or fewer points in a game this season and lowered their league-leading scoring defense to 48.0 points per game.

The Stags, who have won two straight games, improve to 12-6 overall and 5-3 in league play, while the Purple Eagles fall to 1-18 on the year and 0-8 in MAAC action.

Johnson's 17 rebounds is the sixth most by a Stag in a single-game and she becomes just the fifth player to corral 17 boards in a game. She finished with 13 points, including 7-7 at the free throw line, and blocked three shots in the game. Desiree Pina (Plainville, Conn.) led all scorers with 14 points, hitting twice from behind the arc and hitting 6-8 at the free throw line. Brittany MacFarlane (Hamilton, Ontario) also reached double figures, hitting 5-9 from the field for a dozen points.

Niagara hit 4-6 from the field in the first 4:55 of action to jump out to a 9-2 advantage, but missed their next eight shots as Fairfield quickly battled back; holding the Purple Eagles to seven points the remainder of the half. MacFarlane scored four consecutive points and Katie Cizynski (Southbury, Conn.) made her first hoop at the 12:21 mark to get the Stags within a point, 9-8. After a pair of Liz Flooks (White Plains, N.Y.) free throws, the Stags scored four unanswered to take the lead 12-11 midway in the first-half and a Pina three-pointer gave the Stags a 15-11 lead. Niagara crept within two points, 18-16, with 5:57 to play before intermission, but Fairfield's defense held them scoreless the remainder of the period and the Stags took a 25-16 lead into the break.

Fairfield maintained the nine point edge over the first 2:30 of the second-half, and led 28-19 on a pair of Johnson free throws. Niagara strung together four consecutive points with a jumper from Grace Cunningham (East Aurora, N.Y.) and free throws from Katie Gattuso (Pittsburgh, Pa.) to close within five points, 28-23 with 13:38 to play. A conventional three-point play from Johnson on the Stags next possession snapped the Niagara run and fueled 10-2 Stags run that pushed the advantage to 38-25 when MacFarlane scored with 8:38 to play. Niagara was able to get the margin back to single digits with 2:53 to play, 42-33, but would get no closer than seven points, 43-36, with 61 seconds remaining. The Stags hit 6-8 free throws from that point to preserve the win.

Niagara was led by the 11 points of Flooks, who was the only player to score more than eight points in the contest. She also corralled a team-best six rebounds and had one of the two Niagara assists. Meghan Waterman finished with three points and a game-high four steals.

Neither team shot the ball well, with the Stags hitting 15-51 (29.4%) and the Purple Eagles shooting 24.4 percent (10-41). The Stags committed just 10 turnovers in the game, while forcing 17 Purple Eagle miscues, with each of the five starters recording at least one steal. 

The victory completes the season series between the two teams, with the Stags winning both games. Line in the first meeting, both teams finished with identical rebound totals, 36-36. Fairfield had a 15-12 advantage on the offensive glass and turned that into a 12-2 edge in second chance points. Fairfield doubled up Niagara in points in the paint, 24-12, and had an 11-10 edge in points off of turnovers.

Fairfield returns to action on Friday, January 28^th when it travels to Saint Peter's College for a 7 p.m. contest. The game begins a stretch of five games in 10 days for the Stags, who are next at Alumni Hall on January 30^th to host Rider University.