Women's Basketball Tops Niagara 74-52 for 20th Win of Year

NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The Fairfield University women's basketball team closed out the regular season with a 74-62 victory at Niagara University. Sophomore Kristin Schatzlein had a career-high 20 points while senior Katie Cizynski posted her 11th double-double of the season to help power the Stags.

Schatzlein went 8-for-12 from the floor, including four three-pointers, and added four assists and four rebounds. Cizynski finished with 23 points, including 17 in the second half, and 11 rebounds for her third double-double in the last four games.

Junior Felicia DaCruz also scored in double figures, tallying 11 points while handing out six assists. Senior Alexys Vazquez finished with nine points, including two three-pointers. She brings her total to 82 three-pointers made this year, three away from the single season record.

Fairfield will enter next week's Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship as the third seed after notching a 15-5 league record and a 20-9 overall record. The Stags will play their quarterfinal game on March 7 at 9:30pm at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass. Fairfield's opponent will be the winner of the No. 6/No. 11 seed game that will be played on March 6.

The Stags started the game with an 11-2 run over the first 3:30. Fairfield pushed its lead to 20-9 at 13:56 on a bucket by Cizynski. The Purple Eagles countered with an 11-0 run to tie the game, 20-20, at the 10:48 mark. Vazquez broke the stalemate at 9:27 with a three-pointer. Another three by Vazquez at 6:54 extended the Stags' lead to 28-22. Niagara used a 7-1 run late in the first half to pull within 32-31 at the break.

Fairfield opened up a 47-39 lead in the second half on a three-pointer by Schatzlein at 14:13. A jumper by Sylvia Maxwell at 12:02 pulled Niagara within 48-45, but back-to-back threes by Schatzlein made it a nine-point game. Fairfield quickly extended its lead to double digits, 66-57, on a floater in the lane by Schatzlein. Fairfield fended off Niagara the rest of the way for the win.

Fairfield hit the 20-win mark for the tenth time in program history, for the fourth time under Head Coach Joe Frager, and for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign.

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