FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Remember when you were a kid and you would go on those field trips to sporting events and you would just cheer your heart out? The Fairfield women's basketball team will host the first-ever “School Day Game” presented by Stop and Shop as the Stags take on Saint Peter's. Over one-thousand elementary school students from around he area will create a unique atmosphere. All fans will receive free attendance to watch Fairfield, fresh off their biggest win of the year, take on the Peacocks at 11am. The next victory will also be the 250th all-time win at Alumni Hall.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Fairfield is coming off their biggest win of the season, upsetting nine-time defending MAAC Champions Marist on the road. It was the second-straight win for the Stags in the McCann Arena, the only MAAC school to do that during the nine-year title run. Samantha Cooper hit her second game-winning shot of the season, burying a jumper with three seconds left. The bucket capped a wild final 30 seconds which featured four lead changes and seven combined points. The Stags almost suffered another heart breaking defeat, but Sydney Coffey's final layup, rolled off the side of the rim to preserve the win. ◊ The Stags held the lead for the first 30 minutes of the game and did not trail by more than two points. The difference of the game was the battle of the boards. After struggling on the glass against Niagara, the Stags out-rebounded Marist 39-29. Cooper recorded the first double-double for a Stag this season with 13 points and 10 boards.
CAN THEY DO IT? YES THEY MCCANN: Fairfield became the first MAAC team to win two-straight games at the McCann Arena in nine years. Before yesterday, the Red Foxes were 46-2 against the MAAC in their home place, with both losses coming last season.
Over the last 11 seasons, Marist was 124-17 at home including a 26-game winning streak that spanned two years, the second longest streak in the country at that point. The Red Foxes were 93-7 during that span against the MAAC. Overall, the nine-time defending MAAC champions were 156-11 against league opponents. The Stags have now won two-straight overall.
COOPER IS CLUTCH: The game-winning shot against Marist was the second for Samantha Cooper this season, both coming in MAAC play. In all four MAAC games, Cooper has been the last one to touch the ball in crunch time. Cooper hit the game-winners against Siena and Marist, missed the game-winner against Niagara, hit a layup versus Quinnipiac (with one second remaining as Fairfield ran out of time).
Cooper is currently second on the team with 10 points scored in the final two minutes of games. Cooper is also shooting 60 percent from the floor and has taken five shots.
CLOSE SHAVE: In the 22 MAAC games, seven have been decided by five points or fewer. Four of those games have featured the Stags. Six games have been decided by one possession, with Fairfield appearing in half of them. Also, four games have been decided by one point, with the Stags playing in two of those. The average margin of victory in a MAAC game thus far has been 13.3 points. Fairfield's games have been decided by a total of nine (2.25 average).
FAIRFIELD VS SAINT PETER'S: The Stags and the Peacocks will be meeting for the 78th time in program history, with the Stags holding a 40-37 ad- vantage. Fairfield has won the last eight in the series. In total the Stags have won 16 of the last 18 games against the Peacocks since 2006. Fairfield defeated Saint Peter's by 32 points last season, their largest margin of victory against any team since Dec. 29, 2012 against Wagner. The Stags have not lost to the Peacocks at home since 2002, and have not dropped a game against the New Jersey side at Alumni Hall since 1999. Despite scoring a combined 123 points against Saint Peter's last season, returning players have combined for a total of 38 points in the two games last season. Kristin Schatzlein led the way averaging 5.5 points per outing while Felicia DaCruz had 10 assists in the two games. Fair- field made their named defensively, holding Saint Peter's to 39.5 points per game, a 29 percent shooting percentage, and a 19 3-point percentage.
SCOUTING THE PEACOCKS: Saint Peter's is one game removed from their first win of the season, defeating Rider 50-49 at home. The Peacocks will be playing their first game on the road since Dec. 21 when they traveled to Navy.
Saint Peter's has been outscored by an average of 19 points per game through their first 12 games of the season. The Peacocks are averaging 44.7 points per outing which stands as the fewest in the country. Defensively, Saint Peter's has allowed at least 70 points in six of their games and opponents are shooting 59 percent from the floor, the 14th highest in the nation. However, the Peacocks could give Fairfield stress behind the arc, currently ranked fifth in the MAAC limiting opponents to a 31 percent 3-point shooting clip. No player for Saint Peter's is currently averaging double figures, with Alyssa Velles leading the team with 7.9 per outing. Velesz is the team's leading threat from behind the arc with 19 of the team's 30 long-range shots. The freshman has taken 77 long-range shots (48 percent of the team's). The Peacocks' head coach Pat Coyle is the former Head Coach of the New York Liberty.
UP NEXT: The Stags will play in the fourth game in seven day when they travel to Rider on Sunday at 2pm.
