FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Marist hit 10 of their 13 shots in the third quarter, including eight-straight during a seven-minute stretch, as Fairfield dropped their third-straight contest 72-57 to Marist. Kelsey Carey led the Stags with 13 points while Samantha Cooper recorded her fifth career double-double in the loss.

“You have to give Marist a ton of credit,” Head Coach Joe Frager said of the third quarter run that turned a one-point game into a 22-point contest. “I think from a defensive stand point we let them get a little bit comfortable. Earlier in the game we did a better job of getting up on their shooters a little bit more, but I think because we got burnt off the dribble a couple of times, we were taking that little step off.”

That stretch was the defining run of a game that saw the Stags hang in against a MAAC title contender. Fairfield (3-3, 0-2 MAAC) played their best first quarter in a couple of weeks, out-scoring Marist (2-7, 2-0 MAAC) 23-15 after connecting on 10 of their 13 shots. The energetic Fairfield offense was set up by Lizzy Ball who had her best shooting performance of her career during the first 20 minutes. Ball tallied a career-high nine points and dished out six assists, without committing a turnover.

In fact, as a team the Stags secured the ball, tallying 12 assists and just four turnovers in the first half.

“From an offensive standpoint, that's about as well as we are capable of playing,” Frager said. “I thought we had a lot of good energy early, but more than anything we made shots. When you play against a good team like Marist you have to make your shots.”

Speaking of making shots, Marist could not miss in the third quarter. After a Carey lay-up cut the Marist lead to 36-35, 30 seconds into the third frame, the Red Foxes made nine of 10 shots, starting with a 3-pointer from Allie Clement. Marist was off the mark with their second long range shot of the quarter, but then would hit eight-straight shots that featured two 3-pointers from Preseason All-MAAC guard Sydney Coffey and a long range shot by freshman Maura Fitzpatrick. After the smoke cleared, Marist recorded a 20-2 run, which was the difference in the game.

After all of that, the Stags did not quit, which will add a invaluable learning experience for Fairfield.

Battling an injury, Casey Smith grinded out 23 minutes for Fairfield and her mere presence on the court gave the Stags a lift.

“I want to give Smitty a tremendous amount of credit,” Coach Frager said. “Statistically, this might not have been a good game for her but a lot of kids would not have even played with the injury she's dealing with right now. She was at about 50 percent and a lot of kids would have packed it in and not played, and she went out there and battled and I'm very proud of her.”

Freshman Kendra Landy also showed gained valuable minutes in the contest, helping her to further adjust into the collegiate game. Landy used her toughness to score a career-high five points, grab a personal best five rebounds, with two assists and two steals.

“We recruited Kendra and we know she has talent and ability,” Frager said. “She has struggled in practice and I hope this gets her feet under her. She's got real good point guard instincts, she's pushing the ball well…I'm a Kendra believer, that's why I gave her a scholarship.”

For Marist, Tori Jarosz and Sydney Coffey tallied 20 points apiece, while Clement led the team with four 3-pointers.

The Stags will end their program record tying five-game home stand when they welcome Albany on Wednesday at 7pm. The Great Danes have been receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll.