FAIRFIELD, Conn. – After a non-conference schedule that saw Fairfield play five teams that made a national postseason tournament last season, the Stags will turn their attention back to the most important part of their campaign: the MAAC portion. Fairfield will play their first game of the 2015 calendar year when they host the Niagara Purple Eagles on Sunday at 2pm. The Stags have won 14 of the last 16 meetings against the Western New York squad.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Fairfield is coming off their fourth straight loss, dropping a 73-59 decision to Iowa State. Casey Smith had the game of her life in the loss. Smith had a career-high 24 points which is the most by a Stag this season. Smith also set season-highs for Fairfield with 12 field goals made. Smith, who originally went to another Philadelphia school in Saint Joseph also had a personal-best three assists. The Stags handed out 18 assists, the third most in any game this season, and had a positive assist-turnover ratio for the fourth time in the last five games. The difference of the game came in the second half. La Salle scored 50 points in the final stanza, the most the Stags have allowed in any half this season. Samantha Cooper contributed to the team in another way besides the scoring column. Cooper had a career-high six assists and grabbed nine rebounds and two blocks in the loss.
GOING FOR NUMBER 250: Fairfield will have their third attempt in winning number 250 all-time at Alumni Hall. The Stags are 249-79 all-time on campus including a 54-15 mark under Head Coach Joe Frager. The first victory for Fairfield at Alumni came on December 8, 1981 against UCONN. All-time Alumni Hall has seen 534 basketball victories, with the men's team tallying 285 in their program history.
CAN'T BEAT SMITTY: Stags sophomore Casey Smith is coming off a career-high 24 points in her first trip to her old city of Philadelphia, Pa. Smith transferred from Saint Joseph two years ago. Smith set career highs with 12 made field goals and three assists in the loss.
The 114 points scored in her first 10 games was the most by a Stag rookie in over 15 years.
HELPING IN OTHER WAYS: Despite scoring just one point in the last two games combined, Samantha Cooper is helping the team out in other ways. Cooper has a total of 15 rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks in the last two games.
In three of the five games when Cooper has reached double figures in scoring she has failed to reach the five rebound plateau.
NOW THAT'S TOUGH: The Stags have the 8th most difficult schedule in the country, with stats updated through games played on January 1. Fairfield's past opponents have a record of 81-39, with a .675 winning percentage. Hampton has the toughest schedule in the country thus far. The Stags have played three games against a team that has received votes in the national polls at some point this season. Five of their non-conference opponents played in a national postseason last year.
WHAT A HALF: Fairfield had arguably their best offensive half of the season against La Salle. The Stags shot 52 percent from the floor, the second highest total in an opening stanza this season. Fairfield also had 17 defensive rebounds in the period which tied for the most of a first half this season (Butler).
STAYING POSITIVE: After finishing with a positive assist-turnover ratio only twice in the first six games, the Stags have accomplished this feat four times in the last five games. During that span, Fairfield is averaging 14.2 assists and just 11.6 miscues per contest.
ON THIS DATE IN STAGS HISTORY: Fairfield is 10-2 all-time on games played on January 4. This is the fourth time in the last five season, the Stags have played on this date and are 4-0 in those contests. The Stags are 1-0 against Niagara on January 4, with their lone victory a 48-37 decision in 2011. Fairfield made history on this date in 1991 scoring a program record 106 points in a win against Central Florida. The Stags would win that game 106-98.
FAIRFIELD VS. NIAGARA: The Stags and the Purple Eagles will be meeting for the 53rd time in their program history. The Stags hold the 34-18 advantage in the series. Fairfield has won 14 of the last 16 meetings between the two schools, including both games last season. The Stags have not lost to Niagara in Alumni Hall since 1999. Fairfield has lost three home games during that span, but all coming at Webster Bank Arena.
The combination of Kristin Schatzlein and Felicia DaCruz caused major problems for Niagara last season. Schatzlein averaged 16.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and four assists in two games against the Purple Eagles last season. DaCruz netted 12 points per game with nine assists and just one turnover.
SCOUTING THE PURPLE EAGLES: Niagara is coming off their first MAAC loss of the season, dropping a 80-66 decision to Quinnipiac. With the loss, Niagara has now dropped three of their last four after a season-high five game winning streak.Niagara currently holds the second best scoring defense in the league, conceding just 62.4 points per outing. The Purple Eagles are also one of three teams in the league to have more assists than turnovers. The Purple Eagles are led by their sharpshooter Meghan McGuinness who has connected on 29 3-pointers this season. Val McQuade is right behind her with 27 long range shots this season good enough to average 10.6 points per contest. The reigning MAAC Rookie of the Year, Victoria Rampado is the third player averaging double figures, with 10.5 per 40 minutes. She also leads the squad with 5.2 boards per game and shooting 52 percent from the floor..
UP NEXT: Fairfield will have one day off before travelling to the MAAC dynasty Marist on the road on January 6 at 7pm. The Red Foxes have won nine-straight MAAC Championship titles.
