FAIRFIELD, Conn. – What a better opportunity to try and turn your season around than in front of a national audience? The Fairfield women's basketball team will play their second-straight game in the state of New Jersey when they travel to Lawrenceville to take on the Rider Broncs in a contest that will be streamed live on ESPN3 on Thursday at 5pm. After this contest, the Stags are scheduled to have one more ESPN3 contest, which will come at home on January 24.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: The Stags are coming off their third-straight loss after dropping a 56-46 decision at Saint Peter's. The loss snapped a 10-game winning streak against the Peacocks, which was the longest active streak for the Stags. The good feeling the Stags had at the end of the game was a sense that they might be starting to figure it out. Fairfield used a different combination of players in the fourth quarter and they responded with a huge spark of energy, tallying 21 points. Helena Orts added a season-high seven points and Casey Foley tallied a career-high six in the final 10 minutes. The Stags once again struggled shooting the ball. Fairfield started the first three quarters shooting just over 22 percent, including just two field goals in the third period. The defense stepped up for the Stags, but could not hold the fort the entire game. Saint Peter's shot 62 percent from the floor in the second half, after hitting just nine field goals in the first 20 minutes.
THE COUNTDOWN FOR SCHATZ: It is time to officially start the milestone watch for senior Kristin Schatzlein. Schatzlein is currently 44 points shy from becoming the 28th Stag to reach the 1000 point club and the fifth recruited by Head Coach Joe Frager. Schatzlein is also fourth in program history in 3-pointers made with 182, and fifth in 3-point shooting percentage. The best game of the season for Schatzlein came in the loss at Niagara when she set a career-high in points (22) and 3-pointers made (six.). Schatzlein was one 3-pointer shy of tying the school's single game record which was last done by Alexys Vazquez in 2010. Schatzlein became the first Stag since Vazquez in 2013 to hit six long range shots in a game.
THE BALL IS ALL HERS: The only Stag to ever wear the number 1, Lizzy Ball has seen that number quite a bit in her first season as the Stags' point guard. She currently leads the MAAC in assists per game (5.3) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.4). Ball has also accounted for 39.6 percent of the team's assists, the 24th most impactful number in the country. Ball is trying to become the first Stag to take the conference's assist crown since Christine Fryer in the 1995-96 season.
FAIRFIELD VS RIDER: This will be the 41st meeting between the two teams with the Stags holding a 34-6 advantage in the series. Fairfield avenged a 2014 MAAC Tournament loss, taking both games of the series last season. However, Rider did make history against the Stags in their last meeting. The Broncs snapped a Fairfield streak at 310 consecutive games of hitting a 3-pointer. The Stags held Rider to just 13 second half points. Kelsey Carey averaged 14.5 PPG vs Rider last year. Fairfield holds a 15-3 record at Alumni Gym, with their last loss coming in 2013.
THE BRONCS SCOUTING REPORT: The Broncs are coming into the game on a six-game losing streak, dropping those games by an average 20.6 points. However, Rider has had to go through the past two contests without their star scorer in Robin Perkins. The junior guard currently leads the team with 14.7 points per game, four points higher than her team leading 10.8 points last season. As a team, the Broncs could present several problems in the front court for the Stags. Rider is seventh in the MAAC in rebounds with 35.9 boards per contest. C'quoya Haughton and Julia Duggan combine for 14.4 of those rebounds. Perkins was the leading scorer for the Broncs last season against the Stags with 21 points (only four in the 43-40 Fairfield win). No team hit a 3-pointer in the last meeting at Webster Bank Arena. Among returners, Julia Duggan chipped in nine points. Kamila Hoskova is their threat from behind the 3-point arc, shooting .364 from deep this season.
UP NEXT: The Stags will have a short turnaround as they travel to take on Manhattan on Saturday at 2pm.
