Box Score

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Fairfield University women's basketball team 2012-13 season came to end with a crushing 49-48 loss at the buzzer to the University of Pennsylvania in the quarterfinals of the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI) this evening at The Palestra. All-Ivy League forward Alyssa Baron nailed a three-pointer before the buzzer to propel the second-seeded Quakers into the WBI semifinals. The third-seeded Stags finish the year with an 18-14 overall record.
 
Trailing 46-43, senior Katelyn Linney drove to the hoop and made a lay-up with 23 seconds left to make it a one-point game. After a missed Penn free throw, senior Brittany MacFarlane corralled the rebound and then hit a three-pointer to put Fairfield ahead, 48-46, with seven seconds left. In the waning seconds, Penn put the ball in Baron's hands for the final possession as she clinched the win for the Quakers on a fade away three pointer as the horn sounded.
 
MacFarlane finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, both season highs, in her final game as a Stag. She went 7-for-12 from the floor in 30 minutes of action. MacFarlane, who appeared in 124 career games, leaves Fairfield with 472 points, 551 rebounds, and 48 blocks, which is good for 18th all-time, for her career.
 
LInney finished the night with seven points and two assists. Linney set program records this evening for games played (129) and games started (128). She leaves Fairfield with 1,262 career points, 16th all-time, and as the career leader in three-pointers made (265), three-pointers made per game (2.1), and three-pointers attempted (892). She is also 10th in three-point field goal percentage (.297) and 17th all-time in assists (235).
 
Penn (18-12) jumped out on top with an 8-0 lead in the first half before the Stags got on the board with a three-point basket by Kristin Schatzlein at the 13:01 mark. The freshman led the way for Fairfield in the first 20-minutes of play, contributing seven points. The Quakers built up a nine-point with just over five minutes to play. Fairfield rallied late in the stanza, going on an 8-0 run to pull within 23-22 with 1:34 remaining. After trading baskets, a fast break lay-up by Brianna Bradford with seven ticks on the clock sent the Quakers into the locker room with a 27-24 advantage.
 
The Quakers started the second half with a quick three-pointer, but at the 15:05 mark, junior Katie Cizynski made a momentum changing steal resulting in the Stags taking their first lead of the game, 34-32, on a three-pointer by Vazquez at 14:53 which capped of a 10-2 run. Alyssa Baron tied it 34-34 less than a minute later, but the Stags regained the lead at 11:34 on a lay-up by Cizynski.
 
Fairfield extended its lead to 39-34 on a lay-in by Cizynski but Penn went on a 7-0 run to regain the lead with 6:31 remaining. MacFarlane stuck home back-to-back lay-ups to give Fairfield the 43-41 lead with 4:30 left in the game. Penn answered with a three-pointer from Bradford 14 seconds later to pull ahead while Kara Bonenberger hit a pair of free throws to make it 46-43 and set up a wild final 3:50.
 
Cizynski finished with nine points, five rebounds, and four assists. Laura Vetra, playing in her final game as a Stag, had two points, two rebounds. She finishes her career with 213 points and 171 rebounds in 94 career games. Junior Christelle Akon-Akech had a career-high eight assists to go along with nine rebounds and four points.
 
For Penn, Baron finished a game-high 17 points and 11 rebounds for the double-double.