FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University Women's Basketball team will be raising money and awareness in their annual Alzheimer's Awareness Game which is set for Sunday at 2pm. The game against the Niagara Purple Eagles is part of a nationwide “We Back Pat” initiative. This will be the second game of a season-long four game home stand for the Stags who look to snap a mini-two game losing streak.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: The Stags are coming off their first overtime loss since February 28, 2014 by dropping a 60-53 overtime contest against Monmouth. The Stags held a five point lead with 33 seconds remaining, but the Stags fouled a 3-point attempt which cut the lead down to two. The Stags split their free throws with 16 seconds remaining, giving Monmouth a chance down by three. The Hawks seized their opportunity as the league leader in 3-pointers made, Kayla Shaw, tied the game with a corner three with 0.2 seconds left. The Stags could not get any offensive rhythm in the extra frame, hitting just one field goal with 16 seconds left. Fairfield had led by as many as 13 points with 5:00 left in the third quarter, but a 14-0 run by Monmouth that featured 18-straight rebounds changed the pace.
WE BACK PAT: As a part of the nationwide women's basketball "We Back Pat" initiative, the Stags will be raising awareness and funds for Alzheimer's research. Donations to benefit the Alzheimer's Association will be collected and information will be available in the Alumni Hall lobby.
THE NIAGARA SCOUTING REPORT: The Purple Eagles enter Sunday's game on a three game losing streak which includes a loss to the Stags just nine days ago. Going back to their last 12 games, Niagara has dropped 11 of those contests. Niagara is home to one of the most talented frontcourts in the league with their two leading scorers Victoria Rampado and Kaylee Stroemple. Combined, the two average 29.1 points per game, making up 49 percent of the team's offense. Rampado, who was a preseason All-MAAC First Team pick, is currently fourth in the league with a 16.4 scoring average. She is also the team's leader in rebounding, pulling down 8.2 boards per night, a number that only trails Cooper in the league. She also just recently entered the 1,000 point club in the team's loss to Quinnipiac. Those numbers might be even better, but Rampado plays only 29.1 minutes per game as she still recovers from a season ending injury from last year. Stroemple is the third most accurate shooter in the league as she has connected on 52 percent of her shots. The duo combined for 36 of the team's 55 points in the first meeting between these two teams. Behind the arc, Niagara ranks third in the MAAC in 3-point percentage in large part because of the play of their freshman guard Morgan Baughman. The rookie has taken 119 shots from behind the arc, and has delivered 36 percent of the time, the 10th best number in the league. The Stags are the only MAAC team to shut down Baughman behind the arc as she went 0-for-3 in the previous meeting.
UP NEXT: The Stags will take part in the weekly “MAAC Game of the Week” when they host Quinnipiac on Thursday at 5pm at the Webster Bank Arena.
