SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – The final non-conference game for the Fairfield University Women's Basketball team showed just how far they have come in just a couple months. In front of 1,000 kids and on the home court of a successful Big East squad, the Stags went toe-to-toe with Seton Hall during long stretches and displayed a sense of resiliency in an eventual 80-61 loss to the Pirates. Samantha Cooper led the team with 21 points, including the 1,000th of her career as she became the 31st member in program history to achieve that mark.
 
The final score does not reflect the fight the Stags (3-8) had in the contest after rallying from a 21-9 deficit after the first quarter to take the lead in the second.
 
The rally was carried by Cooper, who hit all six of her shot attempts in the quarter and finished with 17 points in the second. In the middle of those baskets was the 1,000th point of her career, coming off a 3-pointer that forced a Seton Hall timeout as the Stags cut the Pirates lead to five.
 
The Stags weren't done. Sam Kramer made it a one possession game as her layup put the score at 23-21 with 5:40 left to play in the half. Seton Hall would score five-straight points to extend the lead to seven, but Fairfield refused to fold. Casey Foley connected on a 3-pointer to put the Stags within three again. Kramer would hit another 3-pointer at the 1:00 mark that evened the game at 35-35, the first tie of the contest. Fairfield would actually take the lead on two free throws by Kendra Landy, but Deja Winters connected on a 3-pointer with eight seconds left to regain the Seton Hall lead at 38-37 at the break.
 
It was only the second time in seven home games that Seton Hall (8-3) led by one point or fewer after the first half.
 
In the second quarter, the Stags shot 50 percent (4-for-8) from long range and 64 percent (9-for-14) from the field. The Pirates were whistled for eight fouls in the quarter, and the Stags went 6-for-8 from the line.
 
The Pirates would regain their composure in the second half, scoring the first 10 points after the intermission. That streak would stop on a Sam Lewis 3-pointer after a Fairfield timeout. The Stags hung around with their defense that held Seton Hall to just one field goal over the final 6:19 of the third quarter and trailed by just seven 53-46 going into the final quarter.
 
The fourth quarter was dominated by the Pirates as they out-scored the Stags 27-15 in the final period, including an 18-4 run to basically clinch the game.
 
In the contest, Cooper led the Stags with 21 points and seven rebounds. Khadidiatou Diouf finished with eight, including six-straight for Fairfield in the third. Kramer would add nine from the guard position. Macey Hollenshead also added eight points, six coming in the final five minutes of the game.
 
For the Pirates, JaQuan Jackson led all players with 23 points as she connected on 11 of her 13 attempts from the field, including a 5-for-6 showing from behind the arc.
 
The Stags will now begin their conference schedule and close out a three-game road swing when they travel to Buffalo, N.Y., to take on Canisius on Thursday, December 29 at 2pm.