FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Friday's game against Canisius will be important for a number of reasons. The Stags will try and stay in the hunt for the three seed in the MAAC tournament, the team will try for their sixth straight win at home, but most of all, the team will be raising money and awareness for breast cancer research in their annual 'Play 4 Kay' event. All funds will go to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund to try and find an answer in the fight against women's cancers. The 5pm game will be the first of a Fairfield double header at Webster Bank Arena with then men's basketball team tipping off against Quinnipiac at 8pm. Both games will be streamed on ESPN3.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Fairfield is coming off their best defensive effort of their Division I program, limiting Manhattan to 26 points which ties the fewest points allowed in their history (Albany in 2010). Fairfield took over in the second half, outscoring the Jaspers 26-10 in the second frame while shooting 46 percent from the floor. Manhattan, on the other hand, shot 4-20 (20 percent in the stanza). The difference of the game was at the beginning of the second half when the Stags went on a 19-0 run (their largest run of the season) and held the Jaspers scoreless for 11:32. After a slow first half, Casey Smith became the answer for the Stags in the second frame. Smith went 6-7 from the field and finished with a game-high 16 points. Smith ignited the 19-0 run by scoring the first eight points of the stretch.
PLAY 4 KAY: The Stags will be raising money and awareness for breast cancer research by wearing pink shoe laces and socks during tonight's contest.
The Kay Yow Cancer Fund is partnered with the WBCA and The V Foundation committed to being a part of finding an answer in the fight against women's cancers. Also, Joe Frager will donate $10 for every 3-pointer Fairfield makes in the game.
STAGS AT THE WEBSTER BANK ARENA: The Stags will be playing the second of three games at the Webster Bank Arena this season. Fairfield started playing games in Bridgeport in 2001 and are a collective 48-50 in the Arena. Joe Frager is 15-13 in the building.
DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE: The 26 points the Stags allowed vs Manhattan tied a program record previously set in 2010 against Albany. The number also ranks 10th in the NCAA this season, and fifth among Division I schools.
It was the eighth time in their history that Fairfield has held an opponent to 30 points or fewer, with six of those coming under Frager. Since the beginning of last season, 10 opponents have scored fewer than 50 points and the Stags have won all 10 of those contests.
WINNING STREAK AT HOME: With a victory, the Stags will win their sixth-straight home game, the second-straight season they have reached that feat.
The Stags still have a ways to go for their program record which is set at 19-straight wins from 1989-1991.
FAIRFIELD VS. CANISIUS: The two teams will be meeting for the 57th time in program history and the second time this season. The Stags have won 10 of the last 11 meetings in the series and have a 15-8 record at home, but a 1-4 record at Webster Bank Arena. Post players were the difference in the first meeting between these two teams last week as the trio of Kristine Miller, Kelsey Carey, and Helena Orts stepped up when Casey Smith got into foul trouble to combine for 33 points on 15-19 shooting. Miller had the best game of her career going 6-6 from the floor, the first Stag to accomplish that feat since Katie Cizynski in 2011. Fairfield opened a 22-point lead early in the second half, but Canisius fought back to make it a four-point contest with two minutes to play. In the series, Kristin Schatzlein leads the Stags with nearly 10 points per contest. Last season against the Griffs, Schatzlein shot 47 percent (8-17) from behind the arc, her best shooting performance against an opponent. Felicia DaCruz leads the team with 4.5 assists per game during the series.
SCOUTING THE GRIFFS: Canisius will come into this contest fresh with their last game played nearly one week ago, a 63-49 setback to Marist. In total, Canisius has lost three-straight and four of their last five outings. However, the Griffs are 3-1 in their last four MAAC road contests.
The Griffs have a simple team identity: shoot threes. Canisius is one of the most accurate teams in the country from behind the arc, connecting on 37 percent of their shots from deep, the 10th best number nationally. Canisius totals five 3-pointers per contest, a number that is just sixth in the MAAC. The Griffs struggle on the boards allowing 38.3 rebounds a contest, which is fifth in the league. However, Canisius grabs only 22.6 defensive boards, 10th in the conference. Canisius is shooing 8-37 from deep in their last three games. Kayla Hoohuli leads the way with 1.9 three-pointers per game and averages a team best 12.1 points per outing. Emily Weber is the team's most accurate shooter converting 43 percent of long range shots which is third in the league.
UP NEXT: The Stags will play their final game at Webster Bank Arena this season when they host the Siena Saints in a rematch of the MAAC opening game. It will also mark Senior Day when Felicia DaCruz will be honored for her four years of excellence on the squad. Tipoff is at noon on Saturday, February 21 on ESPN3.
