The Fairfield University women's basketball team returns to action Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) action tonight with the return trip to Iona College. The Stags have won four consecutive league games and are 14-7 overall and 7-3 in conference action. The Gaels have also won four consecutive games, all in MAAC action, and enter tonight's game at 9-13 overall and 5-5 in league play.
John Cummings and Maria Conlon will call all the action live on
WVOF 88.5 FM. Fans can also visit the Iona
athletic website for other viewing options.
Fairfield and Iona are meeting for the 70th time with the Stags holding a 46-23 advantage. Fairfield won three straight games in the series, including a 64-48 win at home this season, to snap an 11-game series losing streak. Fairfield won two of the team's three meetings last season, including a 61-57 win in the MAAC Championships semifinal. Fairfield snapped the long stretch of Iona wins with a 72-59 home victory on February 19, 2010. Fairfield won a series best 15 straight meetings between January 4, 1994 and February 4, 2001.
Joe Frager has faced Iona nine times, the most of any opponent in his Fairfield tenure (Siena also) and is 3-6 in those games.
The Stags began play this week as the nation's top ranked team in scoring defense, at 48.0 points per game. After allowing NC State to score 76 points, Fairfield is now giving up 49.4 points per game. West Virginia lowered its scoring defense to 49.2 points per game, to lead the country, with the Stags and UConn tied for second. MAAC foe Manhattan is fourth at 49.8 points per game. The NCAA will release updated national leaders on Friday afternoon that includes all games played through Thursday, February 3.
The Stags rode a 28-15 halftime advantage to a 64-48 victory over Iona when the two teams met at Alumni Hall on January 8. The Stags were led by
Taryn Johnson who shot 8-10 from the field and 6-6 at the line to tally a career-high 22 points, as well as pulling down nine rebounds. The Stags shot 36.5 percent from the field, while holding the Gaels to just 23.1 percent. Both teams recorded 46 rebounds in the game, with the Stags committing 16 turnovers, to the 15 of Iona.
Desiree Pina collected a career, and game-high, 11 rebounds in the game, to go along with eight points and two assists.
Joelle Nawrocki was the only other Stag to score in double-figures, tallying 15. Marissa Flagg scored eight of her team-high 14 points at the free throw line for Iona, while Anda Ivkovic pulled down 11 rebounds.
Iona has won four straight games to even its conference record at 5-5 and move into sixth place in the conference. The Gaels scored 92 in a win over Rider (92-61) and then played a defensive 55-50 overtime win over Siena during the current stretch, with Kristina Ford scoring 18 or more in the last three games. Ford is leading the team in scoring, 12.1 points per game, while also pulling in a team-best 6.0 rebounds per game. Ivkovic is the other player in double figures at 11.5 points per game, with a .415 field goal percentage on the season. That duo combines to shoot 90-119 (75.6%) from the free throw line. Iona enters tonight's game with a -6.4 scoring margin and a -3.8 rebound margin. As a team, the Gaels are shooting 34.9 percent from the field and just 26.9 percent from behind the arc - hitting 5.0 three-pointers a contest. Iona causes 19.7 turnovers a game, while committing 19.3 turnovers of its own, and is averaging 9.1 steals per contest.
