FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The final non-conference game of the 2017-18 season for the Fairfield University Women's Basketball team will bring the Stags to South Orange, N.J., to take on Seton Hall for an early 11am contest on Thursday. This will also be the middle game of the team's three-game road trip as Fairfield will open the conference schedule next week in Buffalo, N.Y., against Canisius.
 
The contest will also represent the 600th career game for Head Coach Joe Frager in his collegiate career and the 327th as a Stag. During his career, Frager has an overall record of 381-218, which includes a 192-135 mark at Fairfield. Prior to joining the Stags, Frager earned a 189-83 record at Southern Connecticut State, which featured four NCAA Tournament appearances and a NCAA National Championship during the 2006-07 season.
 
With the early start time, the Stags will be a part of Seton Hall's Kids Day when 1,000 local school kids will pack the Walsh Gym. This will be the first of three Kids Day games the Stags will play in this season. Aside from Fairfield University's own "Kids' Day Out" on January 5 against Monmouth, the Stags will play an 11am contest at Iona on February 8.
 
The kids and the fans might see some Fairfield history during the contest, as redshirt senior Samantha Cooper continues her quest to reach the 1,000 point club and is currently eight points shy. Cooper will be the 31st Stag in program history to achieve the feat.
 
The Stags will play Seton Hall for the first time since the 2014-15 season and will be looking for their first victory in the series since 1996. The Pirates will enter the contest with a 7-3 record, with two of those losses coming in their last three outings (Rutgers and No. 11 UCLA). Despite the recent setbacks, Seton Hall has been one of the best offensive teams in the country and holds a 3-0 record this season against teams in the MAAC, winning by an average of 34.3 points in those contests. The Pirates are an up-tempo team that uses their athletic defense to their advantage by recording a Big East best 13.3 steals per game, the eighth best number in the country. Individually, Donnaizha Fountain leads the team with 14.9 points per game with most of those points coming from the charity stripe as she leads the Big East in free throw attempts at 51.
 
The Stags will have another break for the holiday season and will next take the court on Thursday, December 29 at Canisius. The conference opener will be just the third game the Stags will have played in 18 days. The Stags and the Golden Griffins will tip-off at 2pm.