The Fairfield University women's basketball team outscored Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) host Rider University 14-6 in the final 6:17 to earn a 66-55 win at Alumni Gymnasium Saturday afternoon. With the win the Stags improve to 16-8 overall and 9-4 in conference play and assure themselves of a first-round bye in the 2011 Spark Energy MAAC Championship March 3-7 at Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard.

Rider, 3-21 overall and 3-10 on the league hit four consecutive field goals, along with 2-2 at the line, to close an eight-point deficit to just three 52-49, with 6:59 remaining in the game. Over the next 5:30 of action the Stags forced five Rider turnovers and held them to 0-5 from the field. The Stags offense scored 11 points during that time, eight from Taryn Johnson (Brockton, Mass.) to open the largest lead of the contest, 63-49, with 1:25 to play. 

Fairfield shot 45.5 percent from the floor for the game, hitting 14-27 in the second-half, and had three players finish in double-figures. Katelyn Linney (Freehold, N.J.) led all scorers with 19 points, hitting 3-8 from behind the arc as well as pulling down five rebounds and handing out three assists. Johnson finished with 15 points and six boards, as well as a blocked shot. Brittany MacFarlane (Hamilton, Ontario) hit 4-6 from the field, 3-4 at the line, to finish with a dozen points in the contest. Desiree Pina (Plainville, Conn.) scored seven points in the game, as well as handing out six assists, against no turnovers, in playing 39 minutes of action.

The Broncs built a 14-11 lead on a Hall basket just over 11 minutes into the contest on an Alicia Hall basket. Joelle Nawrocki (Unionville, Conn.) knocked down a three-pointer on the Stags next possession to tie the game, and after a defensive stop Linney hit a runner in the lane for a 16-14 Fairfield advantage. The teams exchanged baskets over the next 3:23 minutes, resulting in a 21-21 tie on a MyNeshia McKenzie three-pointer with 4:30 to play before the break.

MacFarlane broke the tie, the eighth of the half, with a hoop in the paint on the next possession. The basket started a two-minute stretch in which the Stags scored eight consecutive points, six from MacFarlane, to build a 29-21 lead. It would be nearly another minute before the Broncs got back on the board, with a Shereen Lightbourne. Lightbourne hit 1-2 at the line with 40 seconds to play to cut the Broncs halftime deficit to five points, 29-24.

Rider was led by the 14-point, 10-rebound double-double of McKenzie, who shot 5-11 from the field. Sarah Homan had 12 points and Lightbourne finished with 11 points and seven rebounds for the Broncs. Rider shot 45.8 percent from the field for the game, hitting 11-26 from the floor in the second-half. Rider went 2-6 from behind the arc and 9-15 at the line.

Both teams recorded 32 rebounds in the game, with Fairfield holding a 10-9 edge on the offensive glass, to preserve the Stags stretch of not being outrebounded by a MAAC opponent. Fairfield had a 24-28 advantage in points in the paint and a 15-11 edge in points off of turnover. The Stags committed just 11 turnovers in the game, with Rider committing 19 turnovers.

The Stags host Saint Peter's on Monday night at 7 p.m. to kick-off a three-game homestand. It marks the final game of this season that will be played at Alumni Hall.