Box Score RIVERDALE, N.Y. – There were many opportunities where the Stags could have buried their heads and watched another unfortunate hard-fought loss. There was inefficient rebounding, some scoring droughts, but the Stags showed why they are a different team, even from just a week ago. Fairfield clawed back from a six-point fourth quarter deficit thanks to a last second layup from Casey Smith in rallying for a 59-57 win against Manhattan at the Draddy Gymnasium.
“I think this is our most important and biggest win of the year,” Head Coach Joe Frager said. “Manhattan is vastly improved. The last time we played them we didn't respond well against their second half run. We did today.”
The Stags (8-9, 3-5 MAAC) trailed 44-38 with 8:07 left in the game and faced their biggest deficit of the game. But it was just one of the many things the Stags fought today. Battling foul trouble, Kelsey Carey returned into the rotation at that point and added six points during the final stretch. Smith also put in six and Kristin Schatzlein added a 3-pointer.
That combination helped the Stags fight back to make the game 57-55 with 45 seconds left. Carey would hit a jumper to tie the game, and the Stags got a big defensive stop on the other side, setting up another dramatic finish.
With just over three seconds to play, Samantha Cooper lobbed a sideline pass into the paint for Smith, who caught the ball, fooled the defender with a hesitation move, and was able to finish the layup to give the visiting side a 59-57 lead with 1.2 seconds on the clock.
Manhattan (6-10, 3-4 MAAC) wasn't able to get a final shot off, sealing the Fairfield victory.
The resiliency the Stags showed today was prevalent right from the opening whistle. After not scoring for the first three minutes of the game, the Stags got their offense going by hitting five-straight shots midway through the first quarter which propelled the Stags to a 16-13 first quarter lead. Carey led the way for the Stags, who had their best first-quarter performance since their last game against the Jaspers. Carey filled out the stat sheet with six points, three rebounds, and two assists in the frame.
The one downside for the Stags in the first 10 minutes came on the glass. Manhattan grabbed five offensive rebounds in the first quarter alone and turned that into four 2nd-chance points.
At the start of the second quarter, once again the Stags had to dig deep. Fairfield misfired on their first six shots top open the frame and Manhattan was able to take advantage. The home team went on a 8-0 run during that span and held a 21-16 lead.
But they once again, weathered the scoring drought.
After Coach Frager clapped his hands and said “Good response, keep it up” to his team, they did. Kristine Miller tallied six points to give the Stags the lead and Cooper responded with a 3-pointer that forced a Manhattan timeout. That gave the Stags an eventual 29-23 halftime lead.
The offensive rebounding, however started to become a storyline, as the Stags gave up 15 offensive boards in the first 25 minutes of the game (Manhattan finished with 20). The Jaspers took full advantage in the third quarter converting those opportunities to 13 2nd chance points, and took the lead going into the fourth quarter.
For the first time this season, four Stags tallied double figures. Smith (season-high 16), Schatzlein and Carey finished with 14 and Kristine Miller added 10 points on 4-5 shooting. The Stags actually shot 51 percent from the floor and allowed only two Manhattan free throws (compared to 23 in their last meeting).
Tatum led the Jaspers with 14 points, eight in the final quarter. Kayla Grimme had 13 for the home team and Shayna Ericksen added 11 off the bench.
The Stags were out-rebounded 41-27 (20-5 on offensive boards). But this time they found a way to win.
“This is one of the greatest group of kids I ever had the pleasure of coaching,” Frager said. “They're phenomenal kids, they're great students, they're really a sensitive group of kids sometimes. Confidence has been an issue for us. They should by now have a belief that when we get into these situations, we can respond.”
They did today and will have a chance to make a statement when they welcome defending MAAC Champions Quinnipiac to Alumni Hall on Friday at 7pm.
