Game Notes
WNIT Bracket

The Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) comes to Fairfield University for the first time in event history as the Stags host Drexel University in the first round on Thursday, March 15. Tip-off is set for 7pm in Alumni Hall.
Tickets: Fans can purchase tickets at Alumni Hall on Thursday beginning at 6pm. Admission is $9 for adults, $6 for youth (12 and under) and seniors, and $3 for college students with a valid university ID.

On The Web: The game will be video streamed live, free of charge, on FairfieldStags.tv. Fans can also follow along with Live Stats or listen to John Cummings and Maria Conlon call all the action on WVOF.org.

Fairfield (24-8) vs. Drexel (18-13): This is the first-ever meeting between the Stags and the Dragons.

Scouting Drexel: Drexel is making its third consecutive WNIT appearance and fourth-straight national postseason appearance. The Dragons also participated in the Preseason WNIT this year, picking up wins against Detroit and Akron. Drexel has won seven of its last nine contests entering the WNIT with the only two losses coming to No. 7/8 Delaware. The Dragons went 12-6 in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) to earn a three-seed in the league tournament. Drexel knocked off VCU, 65-61, in quarterfinals and then defeated James Madison, 67-50, in the semifinals to advance to the CAA Championship game. The Dragons could not overtake the Blue Hens, falling 59-43. Drexel is led by senior forward Kamile Nacickaite who is averaging 17.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Junior Hollie Mershon is averaging 14.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. As a team, Drexel is averaging 60.0 points per game while holding opponents to just 54.4 points. The Dragons are fifth in the nation in turnovers per game (12.8) and 14th in assist-turnover ratio (1.08).

About the WNIT: The Postseason WNIT features a 64-team field. The tournament offers automatic berths to 31 teams – one per conference – and then selects 33 at-large teams. The Pac-12, Colonial, and Atlantic-10 led all conferences with five teams represented in this year's field. The Big East, Big West, Mid-American, and Missouri Valley each added four.

Fairfield in the WNIT: This is the second-ever WNIT appearance for the Stags and the first since 2000. The Stags traveled to Madison, Wisc., to take on the Wisconsin Badgers in the first round of the 2000 WNIT. Megan Light tallied a team-high eight points, but the Badgers proved too much to overcome as the Stags were defeated 83-46. The Stags finished the 1999-2000 season with a 25-8 record, tying the school record for most wins in a season.

How They Clinched It: The Stags clinched the No. 2 seed in the MAAC Basketball Championship with their victory at Canisius College on February 19. With their loss to Marist College in the MAAC Championship Final, the Stags received the league's automatic bid to the WNIT as the highest remaining team in the MAAC regular season standings.

With a win…: The Stags would have 25 victories, tying the program record for wins in a season. Fairfield has posted 25 victories three times in program history in 1990-91; 1999-2000; and 2000-01.

Looking Ahead: The winner of tonight's Drexel/Fairfield game will take on the winner of Friday's Syracuse University/Hartford University contest in the second round of the WNIT. The second round will be held March 17-19 on campus sites.

National Notice: Fairfield is ranked eighth nationally in scoring defense, allowing 51.8 points per game. They have been ranked eighth for the last two weeks. Fairfield is ranked 15th in the nation in turnovers per game, committing just 13.8 per contest. 

Chasing Down 1,000 and a Career Record: With 998 points, junior guard Katelyn Linney is just two points away from the 1,000th of her career and would be the third Stag this season to reach the milestone. In addition, with 207 career three-point field goals made, Linney is two away from tying Holli Tapley's  program record of 209 three-pointers.

Fairfield In Alumni Hall: Fairfield is 9-0 in Alumni Hall this season. The Stags have played 302 games in the building with an all-time record of 232-70 (.768) while Head Coach Joe Frager is 37-6 in the building. Overall, Fairfield is 11-1 at home (Alumni Hall and Webster Bank Arena) this season.