Box Score

RIVERDALE, N.Y – Seniors Desiree Pina and Taryn Johnson registered season highs in scoring and hit crucial free throws in the final seconds of the game to power Fairfield University women's basketball team to a 63-59 victory over Manhattan College this afternoon at Draddy Gymnasium. With the win, the Stags improve to 3-0 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) while the Jaspers fall to 2-1 in league play.
 
Johnson finished with a season-high 20 points and 11 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season. Johnson was 8-for-11 from the floor and 4-for-7 from the charity stripe. Pina posted 19 points, on 6-for-11 shooting from the field. Pina set a new career-high in three-pointers, connecting on 5-of-8 from downtown.
 
Holding a 60-59 lead with 20.4 seconds remaining, Pina hit both ends of a one-and-one to make it a three-point game. With 8.4 seconds left, Johnson hit the front of end of a one-and-one to give Fairfield a 63-59 lead. After missing the second short, Johnson got back on defense and came up with the steal to give Fairfield (10-4) the win.
 
Juniors Katelyn Linney and Brittany MacFarlane each added eight points for the Stags.
 
Fairfield found itself down early, trailing 13-7 midway through the first half. Pina and Linney hit back-to-back three-pointers to tie the game with nine minutes remaining. Johnson gave the Stags their first lead of the contest with a free throw to make the score 14-13 at the 8:22 mark. Less than a minute later, Linney extended Fairfield's run to 10-0 with a three-pointer from the top of the arc.
 
Johnson turned her steal on the defensive end into an easy lay-in on the opposite end of the floor to give Fairfield a 19-13 lead at 6:44. The Stags' 16-3 run was capped off by a Katie Cizynski  jumper at 4:47 to set the score at 23-16.
 
Manhattan (8-7) cut the gap to 23-21 on a three-pointer by Schyanne Halfkenny at 3:36. Halfkenny gave the Jaspers a 24-23 lead with a three-pointer 40 seconds later but Alexys Vazquez responded with a three-pointer of her own at 2:42 to put the Stags on top 26-24. The two teams traded baskets in the closing minute of the half but Fairfield held the 28-27 lead at halftime.
 
Monica Roeder started the second half by scoring 11 of the Jaspers' 13 points, including three three-pointers to give them a 40-36 lead. Manhattan extended the margin to 44-38 on a lay-up by Allison Skrec at 11:45. Fairfield worked its way back and tied Manhattan, 45-45, on a three-pointer by Pina at 10:20.
 
The Stags opened up a 55-49 lead on a lay-up by MacFarlane with 6:42 left to play. The Jaspers chipped away at the lead and tied it at 55-55 on a lay-up by Nadia Peters at 4:23. Halfkenny put Manhattan ahead, 57-55, with a bucket at 3:34. Pina found Vazquez open for a three-pointer with 2:38 left to give Fairfield a 58-57 lead.
 
Holding a 60-59 lead in the final 40 seconds, Johnson came through with a huge block on the defensive end to preserve the Fairfield advantage. The Stags capitalized on the offensive end with a pair of free throws by Pina with 20.4 ticks left on the clock to make the score 62-59. It also set up a one-and-one situation for Johnson with eight seconds remaining.
 
Fairfield returns home on Monday, January 9 to host Siena College at 7pm in Alumni Hall. The Stags will play its first game of the season at the Webster Bank Arena on January, hosting defending MAAC Champion Marist College at 7pm in a contest that will air live on SNY. Check local listings for station information.