FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Four Stags scored in double figures but the Fairfield University women's basketball team fell to Lehigh University, 73-67, this evening in their home opener at Alumni Hall.
 
Senior Katie Cizynski recorded her first double-double of the year, finishing with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Senior Alexys Vazquez posted 17 points, going 6-for-14 from the floor, including a 5-for-12 effort from beyond the arc. Senior Brittany Obi-Tabot posted a season-high 16 points with seven rebounds and three blocks while sophomore Kristin Schatzlein tied a season-high with 11 points.
 
Point guard Felicia DaCruz tied a career-high with 10 assists in 36 minutes of play.
 
Vazquez scored the first five points of the game while the Stags held the Mountain Hawks scoreless until the 16:20 mark when Katie O'Reilly put home a lay-up. The basket by O'Reilly sparked an 8-0 run for Lehigh. Schatzlein stopped the run with a three-pointer at 13:13 to the game at 8-8.
 
With the score tied 21-21, a free throw by O'Reilly and a three-pointer by Sarah Williams put the Mountain Hawks ahead by four points at 5:43. A Vazquez three-pointer pulled the Stags within a point but back-to-back buckets by Lehigh extended the lead 29-24 with 3:47 left in the half. The Mountain Hawks extended their lead to six points, 31-25, on a pair of free throws by Kerry Kinek. Cizynski cut it to four points with a jumper in the lane at 2:06 and just 44 seconds later she successfully converted a three-point play to make the score 31-30. But, a three-pointer by Amina Affini and a jumper by O'Reilly in the final 50 seconds of the half sent Lehigh into the break with a 36-30 lead.
 
Lehigh (4-1) began the second half with a 6-0 run in the opening minutes to quickly extend their lead to double-digits. Schatzlein silenced the run with a three-pointer at 18:03 to make the score 42-33. Fairfield cut the gap to 44-37 on a bucket by Cizynski at the 16:15 mark while a lay-up by Kelsey Carey at 15:49 made it a five-point game.
 
A three-pointer by Elizabeth Jordan at 14:27 broke a three-and-a-half minute scoring drought and sparked a 7-2 run for the Mountain Hawks as they extended their lead to 51-41. At 10:29, Cizynski stuck in an offensive board and was fouled on the play. She made the free throw to pull the Stags within 51-44. A pair of free throws and a lay-up by Obi-Tabot in a 17-second span made the score 52-50 with just over seven minutes left in the game.
 
Rookie Samantha Cooper tied the game 52-52 with a pair of free throws at 6:47. Lehigh countered with an 8-2 run for the 60-54 advantage. Fairfield stormed back once more as back-to-back three-pointers by Vazquez tied the game, 63-63, at 3:15.
 
Lehigh scored on consecutive trips down the court to push the lead back to five points, 68-63, with just under two minutes left in the game. Fairfield came back once again, pulling within 69-67 on a pair of free throws by Cooper at the one-minute mark. Lehigh was able to fend off Fairfield for the 73-67 win.
 
Cooper finished with four points and five rebounds, both career bests, for the Stags. Kinek posted a game-high 21 points while Williams finished with 11 points for the Mountain Hawks.
 
Fairfield (2-2) continues its stay in Alumni Hall on November 25 as LaSalle University visits at 7pm. Monday's game is Take a Kid to the Game Day, all youth 12 and under will receive a free ticket with a purchase of an adult ticket. In addition, Fairfield will be holding a coat drive and fans donating a new or gently-worn coat will receive a voucher for free admission to a future home game.