BALTIMORE, Md. – People sometimes don't see the value of playing in a postseason tournament, that isn't the big stage. But if you were watching on the sidelines as Joe Frager coached the five players on the court with just 14 seconds left in a 12-point game, you can sense that this atmosphere can be used as a learning experience for the future. The lesson for those coming back will be the ability to always fight no matter the score, and they did. Unfortunately, for the first half, UMBC went on a deciding run and would eventually take a 61-49 decision to end the Fairfield women's basketball season in the WBI First Round. Samantha Cooper led the Stags as she recorded her second-straight double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

The Stags had some rust early on as Fairfield turned the ball over six times in the first seven minutes of the game while tallying just four points. Cooper drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key that put the Stags within a point at 8-7. A couple of minutes later, Kristine Miller pulled the Stags within a point again as she got the friendly roll.

UMBC would take the momentum into the second quarter as Emily Russo finished a fast break layup to give the Retrievers a 12-9 first quarter lead.

Fairfield was not the only team to have problems holding on to the ball in the early going. Both teams combined for 14 turnovers in the first quarter, with eight coming out of the hands of the Stags.

Fairfield limited the turnovers in the second quarter, committing just one miscue. However, the scoring of the home side became the theme.

UMBC would score the first six points of the second quarter as they continued a 10-2 run that started in the first quarter. Kelsey Carey stopped the run when she swished through a foul line jumper. The home side would add another 10-2 run as they ended the half hitting six of their final 12 shots and the Stags went into the locker room trailing 31-16.

America-East Second Team member Pandora Wilson led the UMBC charge with 14 points while First Team selection Taylor McCarley added 10 points.

The Stags showed more life in the second half, scoring 12 points during the first five minutes of the third quarter, just four fewer that they recorded during the first half. Cooper notched six of those points as she connected on her first two 3-point attempts.

It was a Casey Foley long range shot though that put the Stags on a run. The freshman swished through a 3-pointer near the end of the shot clock to put the deficit within 10. A fast break layup for Casey Smith made it a single digit game, but the Stags would not get any closer.

The Stags made one final push near the end of the fourth quarter as a Lizzy Ball 3-pointer made it an 11-point contest.

Wilson and McCarley combined for 44 of the team's 61 points, with Wilson recording 24 of those.

The Stags shot 58 percent in the third quarter and 50 percent in the half to bring their average to 40 percent for the game. UMBC was hot from the start of the second quarter as they ended the game shooting 49 percent, including hitting 21 of their 38 shots during the final three quarters.

Smith was the team's leading scorer with 15 points and three steals while tying for the team lead with five assists. Ball also recorded five helpers while committing four turnovers, but all of those miscues came in the first quarter. Ball will finish her senior season with 178 assists which ties for fourth most in a single season at Fairfield.

Ball had a successful campaign as her first as the starting point guard for the Stags. She will finish the season as the MAAC's assist leader, the first time a Stag has done that since the 1995-96 season.

Carey also shined during her All-MAAC Third Team season as she scored more points in her junior season than she did in her freshman and sophomore seasons combined.

Smith also had a productive season as she earned All-MAAC accolades for the second-straight season. It was the first time since 2011 where three-different Stags received All-MAAC laurels.

Kristin Schatzlein who did not play with an illness will go down as one of the best shooters at Fairfield and was the first Fairfield guard named to the All-MAAC First Team since 2008.

Ball, Carey, Smith, Schatzlein and the rest of the Stags helped the squad to a fourth-place finish in the MAAC during the regular season, the 10th-straight conference winning season for the Stags.