Box Score


FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University women's basketball team held off a ferocious second-half run by Iona College as the Stags pulled out a 62-58 victory over the Gaels in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) opener for both schools at Alumni Hall.
 
Three Stags scored in double figures, including junior Brittany MacFarlane who tallied a career-high 18 points and grabbed a season-best nine rebounds, just missing a double-double. Senior Desiree Pina scored a season-high 18 points, which included 15 in the first half, on 8-for-17 shooting from the field. Senior Taryn Johnson just missed a double-double, finishing with 11 points and nine rebounds, while blocking three shots.
 
Iona (4-8; 0-1 MAAC) scored 40 points in the second half to erase a 13-point deficit and overtake the Stags (8-4; 1-0 MAAC) in the final four minutes of the game. With the score tied 51-51, Iona freshman Damika Martinez hit a three-pointer to give Iona the 54-51 advantage with 3:55 left to play. MacFarlane pulled the Stags within 54-53 with a lay-up at 3:18 while Johnson followed with a lay-up of her own to give Fairfield a 55-54 lead at 2:26. From that point on, Fairfield would not relinquish the lead.
 
Five Gaels scored in double figures, including Tomica Bacic who tallied 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Martinez, a native of Meriden, Conn., finished with 12 points while Diana Hubbard had 15 points. Aleesha Powell added 11 points and four steals.
 
After the Gaels scored the first seven points of the contest, the Stags went on a 16-0 run during a five-minute span. Fairfield pushed its lead to 20-10 on a lay-in by Katie Cizynski with 8:36 left in the half while Pina followed with a jumper 32 seconds later to make it a 12-point advantage. Fairfield, which was up by as much as 14 in the half, toted a 31-18 lead into the break behind 43.8 percent shooting.
 
Iona cut into the deficit just 3:40 into the second half as Sabrina Jeridore made it a 33-24 game with a jumper. At the 13:23 mark, Bacic successfully converted a three-point play to pull the Gaels within 36-29. Alexys Vazquez got the points back, draining a three-pointer at 12:52, to return the Fairfield lead to 10 points. Johnson followed with a lay-up to make the score 41-29 with just over 12 minutes left.
 
In a span of 58 seconds, Iona made it a six-point contest, 44-38, as Hubbard drained back-to-back three-pointers and then hit a free throw after being fouled on a made basket at 10:24. Martinez made it a three-point game, 44-41, with a fast break lay-in at 8:59 to cap off Iona's 12-3 run.  
 
A steal by Powell on a Fairfield inbound under the Stags' own basket led to an easy bucket for Martinez which pulled Iona within 46-45 with just under six minutes remaining. With 4:28 left, Bacic hit both ends of a one-and-one to tie the score, 51-51. After a steal by the Gaels, Martinez hit a three-pointer to give Iona the three-point advantage.
 
After Johnson gave the Stags the lead, Pina came up with a huge steal on the defensive end and then came down the court and sank a wide-open three-pointer with 1:36 left in the game to make the score 58-54. Bacic cut it to 58-56 with 54.7 ticks left on the clock, but Vazquez hit a pair of free throws seven seconds later to return the lead to four points. Bacic scored with 36.7 seconds left to make the score 60-58.
 
After a steal by Iona, Johnson quickly got back on defense and blocked the Gaels' fast break attempt to preserve the Fairfield lead. After a missed free throw by the Stags, MacFarlane grabbed the offensive board and stuck it home to make the score 62-58 with nine seconds remaining.
 
Vazquez finished with eight points while Cizynski had four points and seven rebounds.
 
Fairfield out-rebounded Iona, 44-35. The Stags shot 41.0 percent from the floor while the Gaels shot 35.1 percent. Turnovers were even at 15 apiece.
 
The Stags have won eight of their last nine MAAC openers while Head Coach Joe Frager improves to 4-1 in the first league contest of the year. 
 
Fairfield continues MAAC play on Wednesday, January 4 when it travels to Saint Peter's College at 7pm. The Stags then head to Manhattan College on January 7 before returning home to host Siena College on January 9 at 7pm in Alumni Hall.