Box Score

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University women's basketball team won their fourth straight game and remained undefeated in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) as the Stags outlasted Siena College, 52-48, this evening at Alumni Hall.
 
Senior Taryn Johnson led the Stags (11-4; 4-0 MAAC) with 15 points and nine rebounds while senior Desiree Pina added 13 points. Both Johnson and Pina went 5-for-6 from the charity stripe on the night and hit crucial free throws in the closing seconds of the game.
 
Fairfield controlled in the first half, closing the frame on an 8-2 run to take a 28-20 lead into halftime. Siena, however, opened the second half on a 12-0 run over the first 3:36 to overtake the Stags, 32-28.
 
Johnson stopped the surge at the 16-minute mark with a lay-up. Sophomore Alexys Vazquez tied the game, 32-32, with a jumper and then found Pina for a wide-open three-pointer at 12:13 to give Fairfield a 37-32 advantage.
 
Siena (3-10; 1-3 MAAC) came back once again, tying the game at 38-38 on a pair of Clara Sole Anglada free throws at 7:28. Sole Anglada hit another free throw 10 seconds later to give the Saints a 39-38 lead. A steal by Tehresa Coles at midcourt led to an easy lay-in for the freshman at 6:41, making it a three-point game.
 
Sophomore Katie Cizynski pulled the Stags back, making back-to-back shots to give Fairfield a 44-43 advantage with just over three minutes left. After Lily Grenci tied it with a free throw, Cizynski hit her third-straight basket at 1:33 to make the score 46-44 in favor of the Stags.
 
Fairfield extended the margin to 49-44 after free throws by Johnson and Pina. With 42 seconds remaining, Coles hit a pair of free throws to make it a three-point contest. A steal by the Saints led to a lay-up by Sole Anglada to pull Siena within 49-48 with two ticks left on the clock.
 
Pina hit a pair of free throws with 1.6 seconds left to make the score 51-48 while Johnson sealed the victory with a good free throw with .6 second left. Fairfield shot 80 percent from the free throw line for the game, sinking 12 of 15 shots.
 
Vazquez finished with eight points and six rebounds while Cizynski had six points and four boards. Grenci was the Saints' leading scorer, finishing with 15 points and nine rebounds.
 
With her points this evening, Johnson moves closer to becoming the 25th Stag in program history, and the second Stag this season, to score 1,000 career points. Johnson currently has 957 career points to her credit. Earlier this season, Pina recorded her 1,000th career point.
 
Fairfield will play its first game of the season at the Webster Bank Arena on January 12 at 7pm as the Stags host defending MAAC Champion Marist College. The game will air live on SNY, check local listings.