Box Score POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Give the Stags all the credit in the world. They had to deal with one of the toughest MAAC venues, a dramatic fourth quarter, and a full crowd cheering for the home team. With all that said, they did not give up their eight-game winning streak up without a fight. Sixth-year senior Tori Jarosz's layup with one-second remaining helped the home side squeak out a 64-63 victory.
The layup came after a dramatic fourth quarter that featured three ties and two lead changes. Kelsey Carey looked like she had won it for the Stags after she found a deflected pass under the hoop and converted the layup to give Fairfield a 63-62 lead with under five seconds to go. Marist advanced the ball, and the Stags tried to foul, but the defensive push was not called leaving Jarosz open for a layup.
It's hard to find a proper comparison to accurately display the fast start the Stags got off to. Even being shot out of a cannon doesn't produce as much power. Fairfield connected on eight of their first 11 shots, including five-straight attempts which featured two Samantha Cooper 3-pointers, the latter forcing a Marist timeout with a 19-9 Fairfield lead. During the early stretch, the Stags hit three of their four long range attempts, including a 2-for-2 performance by Cooper.
The Stags would come back down to Earth over the final 3:30 of the first quarter, hitting just one field goal the rest of the way, but it was an important bucket. After Cooper was called to the bench after two early fouls, her replacement Kristen McLaughlin took a midrange jumper and got the friendly roll, giving the Stags a 22-13 lead after the first period.
McLaughlin helped the Stags through another rough start in the beginning of the second quarter as her 3-pointer was the only made field goal for Fairfield during a four-minute stretch where the Stags went 1-for-8 from the floor.
The Stags actually added to their lead during this rough stretch, and they accomplished this by stats you won't see in the box score. Fairfield showed a toughness and focus that has become the character of this team. Fairfield ran after every loose ball, had their best game of the season on the glass, and held Marist two field goals over a 10-minute stretch (2-for-14).
In fact, Marist would shoot just 26 percent in the first half, but six free throws helped them trim the deficit to a manageable 34-25 going into the half.
Casey Smith led the Stags during the first 30-minutes shooting 5-for-6 from the floor and tallying 11 points.
Marist, however, is Marist and they were not going away without a fight. Sixth-year senior Tori Jarosz scored eight of the team's first 11 points of the third quarter which cut the Fairfield lead to 40-36.
The Stags did not look like the same team in the second half, as they connected on four of their 15 field goal attempts in the third quarter. Marist grabbed a slim 41-40 lead after a 9-0 run which was capped by five points from Allie Clement.
Kristine Miller tied the game up with a layup with less than a second remaining and the two teams were knotted at 45-45 after 30 minutes of play.
The fourth quarter featured as much excitement as you could hope for. The teams exchanged the first six baskets of the period, with two field goals coming from Miller, each one tying the game.
But Marist kept firing. Clement's 3-pointer put the crowd on the back of Marist which ignited a 7-0 run.
Two Kelsey Carey field goals made it a three-point game and Cooper's layup, forced a Marist timeout with the home team clinging to a one-point lead.
With the Red Foxes holding a 62-59 lead, Sydney Coffey hit a midrange jumper and Jarosz made a big block on the defensive side. But, Carey found the ball underneath and converted the layup to set up the late drama.
Jarosz got the final punch as she recorded her 28th and 29th points in dramatic style, ending the Stags eight-game winning streak. She led everyone with 29 points and 18 rebounds in picking up her national tying 22nd double-double of the season.
Smith and Carey led the offense for the Stags with 14 points apiece, and Lizzy Ball finished with a game-high nine assists.
The Stags are now basically locked in to the fourth and fifth seeded matchup in the MAAC tournament with this loss.
Fairfield now travels to Iona for a Wednesday game at 4pm.
