Box Score JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Nothing is easy in conference play. Every team fights and claws their way in every possession and every point. No team can be taken for granted. Even a 1-15 squad who consists mostly of freshmen. The Stags had to overcome a 12-point first half deficit and a game to close for comfort down the stretch to finally prevail over Saint Peter's 57-47 at the Yanitelli Center.
"It's great to get another win in MAAC play, especially on the road," Head Coach Joe Frager said. "The MAAC is a competitive conference and records are often irrelevant. We are a young team that needs to scrap for every win and Saint Peter's is a well-coached team."
Fairfield (6-11, 5-3 MAAC) did not get the lead for good until Samantha Cooper, who scored all of her 10 points in a five minute span hit a 3-pointer with 8:37 to play.
The Peacocks (1-16, 1-7 MAAC), came out with energy going on an 15-0 run to get the first real advantage in the game. All five starters for Saint Peter's scored during the run, including seven points from point guard Rebecca Sparks which featured a banked 3-pointer and two driving layups. Saint Peter's shot 47 percent during that run and took their largest lead at 12 with 13:47 to go.
The dry spell was halted when Kristine Miller who came in shooting 70 percent from the floor in her last three games, broke free on a back door cut for an easy layup.
That would ignite a 17-4 run for the Stags who finally got back into their own rhythm. Kristin Schatzlein had five points during the run including the layup to give the Stags a 20-19 lead.
However, the resurgence of the offense was not the main reason the Stags clawed back into the contest. The defense finally woke up. The Stags held Saint Peter's to without a field goal for 11 minutes which spanned from the 13:47 mark until a Talah Hughes basket with 2:16 left in the half. Saint Peter's, who hit seven of their first 15 shots, would be limited to 3-13 for the rest of the first half.
The Hughes basket, caused a see-saw battle which would see the lead change hands six times in the final two minutes of the half. The Stags got contributions from three different players in the scoring column during the back-and-forth affair, with Lizzy Ball connecting on a running bank shot with 35 seconds left in the half to give Fairfield a 27-26 advantage going into the locker room.
As is the storyline all season, the game came down to who could rebound the basketball. Fairfield grabbed 15 of the final 21 rebounds during the stanza, starting at the 11:41 mark.
The Stags were down 12 at that time.
Fairfield looked like they would gain control of the game in the second half by gaining a three point advantage on two different occasions.
The Peacocks, however, would get the lead back on twice in the span on two minutes. Anotonia Smith's jumper put the Saint Peter lead at 36-35, and All-Rookie candidate Alyssa Velles extended the advantage to three with 10:50 remaining.
Saint Peter's started the half eerily similar to the first. The Peacocks hit six of their first 13 shots, with a 47 percent shooting clip during the run.
Casey Smith, also an All-Rookie candidate, went on a 6-0 run to put Fairfield within a point, trailing 38-37 with just over 10 minutes to play.
Cooper would be the Stag, however to make the clutch shots down the stretch. The redshirt freshman scored all of her 10 points in a five minute span which started with a 3-pointer to give the Stags a 40-38 advantage.
After that moment it seemed, whenever the Stags needed a basket, Cooper was the one to deliver. She would hit another long range shot with 5:28 to go to give the Stags a 49-42 lead.
It still wasn't easy.
Saint Peter's cut the deficit to four with 2:38 to go and had some opportunities to make it even closer.
Miller, notched her biggest basket of the game with 1:52 to play to give Fairfield a 53-47 advantage.
After a Peacock missed shot, Lizzy Ball, who was the hustler all day for Fairfield, ran down to retrieve the loose rebound which resulted in another Miller layup and sealed the Stags who avoided the upset bid.
"The bench did a great job today," Coach Frager said. "The defense, rebounding, and hustle or Lizzy Ball and Kristine Miller enabled us to overcome a strong start by Saint Peter's."
The win gave the Stags their 10th straight over Saint Peter's which now ties New Hampshire for the longest active streak for the Stags.
Felicia DaCruz notched three assists for the game and is now one assist shy of tying Desiree Pina for 12th on the all-time Fairfield list.
Miller tied a season-high 10 points for the third time this season, while Cooper and Schatzlein both tallied 10 apiece. It is the fourth-straight game that Schatzlein has reached double figures.
Smith led all scorers with 18 points and a team-high seven boards.
Fairfield is now 17-2 since last season when four players reach double figures.
Fairfield will now play it's first game at the Webster Bank Arena on Thursday at 5pm in the first game of a Stags double header. The game against Rider tips off on ESPN3.
