BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Casey Foley and Khadidiatou Diouf both set career-highs with 14 points and Samantha Cooper tied a personal-best with 16 rebounds, but it was not enough to overcome 24 turnovers as the Fairfield University Women's Basketball team fell to visiting Richmond 72-67 in the season opener of the 2017-18 campaign. Foley and Diouf joined Cooper (game-high 18 points) and Sam Kramer (11 points) as the four Stags to reach double figures in the setback.
 
Just five seconds into the season, the Stags (0-1) showed a new brand of basketball with a bit more up-tempo feel. Foley connected on the first basket of the season for the Stags, a 3-pointer five seconds into the contest to give the Stags a 3-0 lead. Foley would end up having the best shooting night of her career as she connected on personal-best three 3-pointers on only four attempts.
 
Foley was not the only Stag to start the game with hot shooting as the Stags shot 59 percent from the floor in the opening quarter (10-for-17) while connecting on three of their six attempts from long range. However, Richmond (1-0) was even better from deep to start the contest, hitting four of their first five shots from behind the arc. That shooting prowess kept the Spiders in the game after the first quarter despite the Stags tallying 23 points, just four points shy of their highest scoring quarter from a season ago. Cooper would hit back-to-back layups to end the quarter to give the Stags a 23-22 advantage going into the first intermission.
 
That lead would be stretched to nine points after lay-ups from Kristen McLaughlin and Foley put the score at 33-24 in favor of the home team with 6:47 left in the second quarter. Richmond would turn the momentum in their favor by relying on their defense, which accounted for eight steals during the final stretch of the first half. Those eight takeaways helped the Spiders end the half on a 12-2 run and give them a 36-35 lead at the break.
 
The defense was the key for the Spiders in the season opener as they turned 24 Stag turnovers into 26 points.
 
Fairfield grabbed the lead twice in the third quarter with Foley's lay-up breaking a tie with 6:42 remaining to give the Stags a 41-39 lead. After Richmond gained the lead by a Jaide Hinds-Clarke lay-up with 5:30 remaining, Fairfield would not get the lead back for the rest of the contest.
 
The Stags did manage to fight back from a deficit that reached as many as seven points to tie the score at 66-66 after a Diouf lay-up with 3:35 left in the fourth quarter. However, the Spiders would not allow another Fairfield field goal and would eventually take the 72-67 victory.
 
Several Stags recorded personal bests in the first game of the season. Aside from career-highs in points from Diouf and Foley, Kramer tied a personal best with five assists while also swishing in three 3-pointers, tying the most she has had in her career. Those five helpers marked a game-high for Kramer.
 
For the game, the Stags shot 47 percent from the floor compared to 42 percent from Richmond.
 
The Stags will embark on their first road trip of the year when they travel to William and Mary for a Tuesday night contest with tip-off at 7 pm.