FAIRFIELD, Conn. – With the snow storm in the rear view mirror, the Fairfield women's basketball team will try and get back to their winning ways when they continue their three-game home stand when they welcome the Canisius Golden Griffins to the Webster Bank Arena for a 1pm contest that will be aired live on SNY and ESPN3. Fairfield will be looking for their 12th win in their last 13 tries against the Griffs. The Fairfield men's basketball team will tip-off against Iona at 3:30pm
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: The Stags snapped their mini two game winning streak as defending MAAC Champions Quinnipiac held on for a 64-55 victory at Alumni Hall. In the game the Stags displayed their best long range scoring by shooting a season-high 59 percent from behind the arc. Fairfield started off hot, hitting five of their first eight 3-point attempts with Samantha Cooper knocking down her first three. Kristin Schatzlein would end up leading the Stags with five 3-pointers. However, the Stags were the victims again of inconsistency. After shooting nearly 70 percent in the first quarter, the Stags did not record a point for the first seven minutes of the second frame and connected on just two field goals in the period (one with two seconds left).The Stags did battle late in the game, going on an 8-0 run to cut the Quinnipiac lead from 13 to just five, with the ball. But they could not complete the comeback.
#SCHATZWATCH: With the next basket senior Kristin Schatzlein will make history. She is just 2 points away from reaching the most recognizable collegiate milestone: the 1,000 point club. Schatzlein would become the 28th Stag to reach the plateau and the fifth recruited by Head Coach Joe Frager. Schatzlein is also fourth in program history in 3-pointers made with 192, and fifth in 3-point shooting percentage. She is 20 treys away from moving into third in the Fairfield record book, passing Holli Tapley. Tapley had held the Fairfield record for over a decade. She would be the first Stag to reach the milestone since Katie Cizynski in 2014.
MAYBE IT'S NOT ALWAYS GOOD: One of the positives for the Stags in their recent loss to Quinnipiac was the fact they shot a season-high 59 percent from behind the arc. However, the Stags have not had much luck in games when they shoot lights out from deep. Since the beginning of last year the Stags have shot over 50 percent from long range five times: East Carolina (.615), Quinnipiac (.538), Niagara (.538), Albany (.533), and Quinnipiac (.588), but are 0-5 in those games. The last time the Stags won a game when shooting over 50 percent from behind the arc came on March 2, 2014 when they shot .538 against Niagara. Fairfield also hit a season-high 10 3-pointers against the Bobcats (their most since a game against Bryant in 2014). It was the 10th time since last season the Stags have hit seven or more 3-pointers in a game. They are 2-8 in those contests.
FAIRFIELD VS CANISIUS: The Stags and the Griffs will complete their season series, with Fairfield looking to sweep the regular season for the sixth time in the last seven years. The Stags are 36-22 all-time against the Griffs (19-11 at home and 11-1 in their last 12 meetings). The Stags took the first contest in dramatic fashion, rallying in the fourth quarter capped by a Kristin Schatzlein put back with one second remaining for the one-point victory. Kristine Miller continues to put up numbers against Canisius as she is shooting 15-for-16 (.938) in her last three games.
THE GRIFFS SCOUTING REPORT: After one of the best starts in program history, the Griffs have struggled in their last eight games, going 1-7 during that span. One of the main reasons for their cool down has been their numbers from behind the arc. During their historic 7-2 start, the Griffs were one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the nation, actually ranking 11th in the country in 3-point percentage. In the six games coming into the weekend, Canisius was shooting just 21 percent from behind the arc. However, the team did shoot much better in their last game at Siena, recording a .474 percentage from deep. The name of the game for Canisius has been their defense which currently holds opponents to a .364 field goal percentage, which is barely behind Siena for the conference lead. The Griffs have started off quickly in their lock down defense with the second best first quarter defense in the MAAC allowing just over 12 points per opening period.
UP NEXT: The Stags will close out their three-game home stand when they welcome Rider to Alumni Hall Thursday at 7pm.
