FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The regular season will come to a close for the Fairfield women's basketball team as they close out the slate with a road game against Manhattan on Saturday at 2pm. The Stags will be looking for their eight-straight win against the Jaspers as they try to go into the MAAC tournament on a high note. Statistically, the momentum might be important for the Stags as the last five times that Fairfield has reached the MAAC Championship game they have won the regular season finale.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Fairfield clinched the number three seed in the upcoming MAAC tournament as they defeated Iona on the road 74-62. The Stags found the poise and the composure that were sorely missing against Marist. Fairfield lost a 12-point second half lead and had to deal with a noise Iona crowd to hang in for the win. Damika Martinez scored 15 of the team's 18 points in a five-minute span to tie the score at 7:16. The Stags would then hold Iona scoreless for nearly six minutes as the Stags went on an 11-0 run. The Stags had four players in double figures, led by Casey Smith who had a team-high 19 points. Smith neared a triple double and finished with a career-high nine assists and seven rebounds. Samantha Cooper recorded her third career double-double with 10 points and 12 boards. Kristine Miller tied a personal best with 14 points and shot 6-7 from the field.
THREE'S COMPANY: The Stags clinched the number three seed in the MAAC Tournament for the third-straight season and the 11th time in program history. Fairfield has a record of 11-9 as the third seed in the tournament, winning the championship in 1988.Fairfield will play the winner of the No. 6 and No. 11 first round game on 9:30pm on Friday night.
CAN'T BEAT SMITTY: Casey Smith is coming off one of the best performances of her career with 19 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds against the Gaels. Smith became the first second Stag in as many years to have a game where they recorded at least nine assists without a turnover in a game (Felicia DaCruz had 10 assists against Manhattan on February 21, 2014. Smith is on pace to score 363 points, which would be the third most by a Stags rookie.
BALANCING ACT: Four Stags reached double figures in the win against Iona the sixth time this season the Stags have reached that feat.
Fairfield is 9-2 in games where at least three players score in double figures. The Stags are 25-4 in the last three years in those games.
FAIRFIELD VS MANHATTAN: The Stags have won seven straight against the Jaspers including a 43-26 win in their last outing, the lowest scoring game in the 80 game history of the series. In those 80 games, the Stags are 43-37 but 15-19 on the road against Manhattan. The Stags had arguably their best defensive performance in their program history in the last meeting between the two teams. Fairfield tied a program record allowing only 26 points against the Jaspers, their fewest since 2010 (Albany). The 26 points allowed was the 10th best defensive showing in the country this season, and the fifth best against Division I opponents. It was the eighth time in their history that the Stags have limited an opponent to 30 points or fewer, with six of those coming under Head Coach Joe Frager. Casey Smith had a team-high 16 points in her first meeting with the Jaspers with 12 of those coming in the second half. Kelsey Carey also reached the double figure plateau with 10 points. Kristin Schatzlein averaged seven assists and nine points per game against the Jaspers last season.
SCOUTING THE JASPERS: The record might not be indicative of the Jaspers late season form, as their offense has started to click during the stretch run, averaging 69 points per game over their last three contests, including a tight affair against conference unbeaten Quinnipiac (Manhattan trailed by five with five minutes remaining).The offense had been the problem for the Jaspers this season as the squad averages just 51.6 points per game and shoots 34 percent from the floor. Manhattan was held to four second half field goals in their last meeting against the Stags. The 51.6 scoring average is the fourth lowest in the nation. This could be a chance for the Stags to try and get their long range shooting touch back as the Jaspers allow opponents to shoot 37 percent from behind the arc, the third highest in the NCAA. However, Fairfield would have to try and limit the turnovers as Manhattan forces 15.6 miscues per contest. Shayna Ericksen is their go-to player as she leads the team in points, rebounds, field goal percentage, and steals. Ericksen knocks in 9.9 points per game and 47 percent from inside the arc. In terms of their long range ability, the duo of Nyasha Irizarry and Taylor Williams have connected on 66 percent of the team's 3-pointers.
UP NEXT: The Stags will play the winner of the first round game between the sixth seed which is to be determined and the number 11 seed Manhattan in the Quarterfinals of the 2015 MAAC Basketball Championships in Albany, N.Y. For more information, please contact the athletics ticket office at StagsTickets@fairfield.edu or (203) 254-4136.
