Box Score BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – There couldn't possibly have been a more fitting ending. With her team clinging to a two-point lead with under five seconds remaining, Kristin Schatzlein hauled in the biggest defensive rebound of the game. She would then hit the two free throws that iced the narrow 52-48 victory for the Stags over Canisius. Oh yeah, before all of that, she became the 28th Stag all-time to reach the 1,000-point club.
“I know the 1,000 points was important to her, it's a great milestone,” Head Coach Joe Frager said. “As a coach I'm glad she got it early to get it out of her system a bit.”
“I was really happened it came at the beginning of the game,” Schatzlein said. “We could focus on winning the game afterward, so that was nice.”
The fans needed to wait just 1:29 to see history. With her first 3-point attempt, Schatzlein hit nothing but net and brought her career total to 1,001. That long range field goal was also the 193rd of her career, which is good for fourth all-time in Fairfield history.
That 3-pointer helped settle in the Stags (9-10, 4-6 MAAC) who scored 20 points during the opening 10 minutes. Fairfield got contributions throughout their lineup with Kelsey Carey tallying five points and Casey Smith chipping in four.
Fairfield even had to play the majority of the first half without their catalyst, Lizzy Ball, who played in only three minutes with foul trouble. Freshman Kendra Landy stepped in and kept the ship sailing, with two assists.
Canisius (8-11, 3-7 MAAC) opened the second quarter scoring the first four points and the Stags went the first 3:08 without a point. Unlike their most recent game against Quinnipiac, the Stags were able to get a clutch basket from Carey that allowed the home side to take a deep breath.
“It was big because we've hit those lulls this year,” Frager said. “Those doubts can start creeping into your head. Those are the things you have to fight off and anytime you can knock down a shot it allows them to breathe a little bit. We're going to be okay.”
Fairfield tallied 11 points during the second frame and held a 31-22 lead going into the locker room.
The Griffs found their footing in the third quarter and managed to cut the deficit to just one on a one-handed shot by Tamara Miskovic.
Canisius actually grabbed the lead on a 3-point basket by Saliah Serrette (43-42 with 4:40 left in the game). The Griffs, who came in as one of the best shooting teams in the MAAC, shot 4-for-9 from deep in the final 20 minutes.
After a Fairfield timeout, Smith regained the Fairfield lead 44-43, and then the defense came up clutch. The Stags would have three-straight defensive stops which allowed the squad to make some plays on the offensive end.
Ball was the Stag to do so as she hit two free throws and then hit the biggest basket of the game, a 3-pointer that extended the lead to 49-43 with 1:21 left.
Canisius, however, did not go away. A jumper by Lauren D'Hont and a 3-pointer by Miskovic made it a 49-48 game with 33 seconds left.
Ball would split the free throws giving Canisius one final look to either tie or win the game. They decided on the latter but D'Hont's 3-point attempt fell right into the hands of Schatzlein, giving the Stags an eventual 52-48 win.
In the victory, the Stags swept the regular season series for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. Three players reached double figures with Schatzlein leading the way with a game-high 14. Carey netted 13 and Smith also recorded double figures for the 11th time in the last 13 games.
The Stags also shot 41 percent, the third-straight contest where Fairfield shot north of 40 percent.
For the second-straight game, the Stags allowed just one player reach double figures with Maria Welch tallying 12 points off the bench.
“I'm really proud of them,” Frager said. “We have a lot of work to do but this was a big win for us today.”
Fairfield will close out their three game home stand when they welcome Rider to Alumni Hall Thursday at 7pm.
