The Fairfield University women's basketball team begins the final weekend of the regular season at Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) foe Manhattan College Friday night. Both teams enter the contest looking to snap two-game losing streaks. The Stags are 17-10 on the season and are 10-6 in the league while the Lady Jaspers are 19-8 overall and 11-5 in league play.
Fans can listen live to the game on
WVOF 88.5FM as John Cummings and Maria Conlon call all the action. Manhattan College offers additional viewing options on its
athletic website.
Fairfield and Manhattan are meeting for the 73rd time with the series deadlocked at 36-36. The Lady Jaspers have won four straight meetings between the two teams, with the last two decisions by an average of 7.5 points. Fairfield had won four straight meetings between the two teams prior to Manhattan's current streak and is 4-6 over the last 10 games. The Stags won the first-ever meeting, 67-61, during the 1976-77 season, before Manhattan rattled off eight consecutive wins - its longest winning stretch of the series. Fairfield's longest win streak is 12 games, spanning from the 1989-90 through February 16, 1994.
The Stags have secured a first-round bye at next weekend's Spark Energy MAAC Championship to be held at Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard. The Stags can still finish as high as third place, but can fall no lower than their current position of fifth-place. Wins in both of their remaining games, coupled with a Siena loss to either Marist or Canisius would give the Stags the third-seed. A loss in either game this weekend for Fairfield, at Manhattan or at Marist, locks the team in as the fifth-seed. Manhattan secures the number three seed with a win over Fairfield and a Siena loss in either of its two remaining games. Marist has clinched the top-seed, while Loyola is locked into the second spot. Manhattan, Fairfield and Siena will comprise the three, four and five seeds, while Iona has secured the sixth spot. Canisius, Rider and Saint Peter's are all battling for spots seven through nine, while Niagara is the 10-seed.
Rookie
Katie Cizynski scored a career-high 12 points, all in the second-half, as she helped rally the Stags from a 39-29 deficit to take a 40-39 lead with 3:49 to play, but the Stags could not hold on, falling 52-44 at Alumni Hall on January 16. Cizynski was the team's leading scorer, shooting 6-6 from the field in the game, as well as pulling down six rebounds, in 14 minutes of action. The Stags had four players in double-figures for the game, with
Taryn Johnson and
Desiree Pina both scoring 11 and
Katelyn Linney adding 10 points.
Joelle Nawrocki handed out five assists, while
Brittany MacFarlane pulled in eight boards. The Stags were just 5-23 from behind the arc in the game and had just three free throw attempts, 1-3, while the Lady Jaspers were 10-11 at the stripe. Fairfield committed 18 turnovers, with Manhattan turning the ball over 15 times. Abby Wentworth led all scorers with 19 points, hitting 7-8 at the line, and recording half of the team's dozen steals.
Manhattan has lost its last two games, after winning seven straight and 11 of the previous 12. The Lady Jaspers are +7.3 in scoring margin, averaging 57.3 points per game on the year. Manhattan is +5.4 in turnover margin, committing 15.6 turnovers a game, and is -3.3 in rebounding margin, averaging 32.4 boards a contest. Abby Wentworth is leading the team in several categories, including being the only player in double-figures in points, at 13.9 a game. She has handed out a team-best 117 assists and leads the team with 79 steals. Nadia Peters is one of five players scoring 6.8 points a game or more, and is leading the team at 6.1 caroms a contest.
Fairfield was outrebounded by Siena 36-27 in its last outing, marking the first conference game this season that the Stags have not at least had the same number of boards as an opponent. It snapped a 20-game conference streak, including the tournament last year, that the Stags had outrebounded MAAC foes. Rider was the last conference team to accomplish the feat, with a 46-35 edge at Alumni Hall, February 21, 2010.
