FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield will take a break from their non-conference schedule and open up their most important part of their year: the MAAC season. The Stags will travel to Loudonville, N.Y. for their first conference game of the year when they take on the Siena Saints on Wednesday, at 7pm. This is the fifth time the two teams have opened the MAAC campaign.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Fairfield is coming off their second straight loss as they fell to nationally-ranked West Virginia on the road
◊ The Stags however had a moral victory against the Mountaineers, as they out-scored West Virginia 42-35 in the second half. It was only the second time all season that a team was able to outscore the defending Big 12 regular season champions. The Stags also held Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, Bria Holmes, to a season-low 15 points, her lowest performance since the season finale against LSU. Fairfield also forced Holmes to six turnovers, the second most in her career. Kristin Schatzlein continued her breakout season by netting a team-high 17 points including 4-8 from behind the arc. Schatzlein has now scored in double figures in six straight games, which is the longest streak of her career. The Stags are off their first 1-5 start since 2002.
ALL ABOUT SHOTS: Kristin Schatzlein has reached double figures in every game through the first six games, the second straight season a Stag has accomplished this feat. Katie Cizynski was the one who accomplished that last year. Schatzlein has scored 99 during her first six games of the season, the highest number since Janelle McManus had 101 in the 2002-03 season. McManus would finish with fewer than 500 points that season. Schatzlein has gone 5-5 from the line this year and has not missed a free throw shot since January 26 at Quinnipiac. Schatzlein has hit 15 straight free throws dating back to last season.
STAGS IN MAAC OPENERS: The Stags are 22-11 all-time in the first game of the MAAC season.
Fairfield has started 1-0 in the MAAC slate in six straight seasons and six of seven years under Joe Frager. The Stags have not lost an opening MAAC game since Dec 7, 2007 against Saint Peter's.
Fairfield and Siena have met four times in the opening game of the MAAC season. Both teams have won two games. Fairfield won in 1994 and 1999 while Siena took victories in 2001 and 2002.
ON THIS DATE IN STAGS HISTORY: Fairfield is 6-2 all-time on games played on December 3. Their most memorable victory came in 1988 when they defeated Boston College 64-59 in overtime in the Warner's Classic in Fairfield. The Stags and the Saints met on December 3, 1999. Fairfield won that game 69-67.
THE SERIES VS. SIENA: This will be the 65th meeting between the two MAAC schools, with the Stags holding a 36-28 advantage.
Fairfield has won seven of the last eight meetings in the series, with their only loss coming in the 2013 MAAC Quarterfinals. The Stags are 13-6 against the Saints under Joe Frager including 5-2 on the road. All-time, the Stags are 12-14 against Siena away from home. Felicia DaCruz had a career performance against the Saints last season. DaCruz averaged 14.5 points per game and seven assists per contest. In the last meeting, DaCruz scored all of the team's 10 points in overtime including the game-winning free throw with 0.8 seconds remaining. Kristin Schatzlein has hit eight three-pointers in the five career games against the Saints.
SCOUTING THE SAINTS: Siena is coming into the game off to their best start in 21 years after winning three of their first four games. The Saints' only loss came against Akron in the Championship Game of the University of Denver Thanksgiving Classic. The Zips were ranked 24th in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 Poll. The Saints are led by their rookie Margot Hetzke who has won the first three MAAC Rookie of the Week awards. The freshman is nearly averaging a double-double with 18.5 points per game and 9.3 boards per game. Defensively, Tehresa Coles is the playmaker for the squad averaging 3.75 steals per contest. The senior also is averaging 16.3 points per outing. Siena makes their name on the defensive side, allowing 64.8 points per game, which is third best in the league. Their 11 steals per game is ranked 48th in the country, while Coles ranks 10th in the nation in that category.
UP NEXT: Fairfield will return home for their final home game of the 2014 calendar year when they welcome the Quinnipiac Bobcats on Sunday ay 2pm. Fans can purchase tickets at ticketmaster.com.
