FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University Women's Basketball team will head to Poughkeepsie, N.Y., to take on the Marist Red Foxes on Saturday afternoon at 4pm on ESPN3. This will be the first of two Marist/Fairfield contests as the Fairfield Men's Basketball squad will take on Marist at 7pm.
 
Both the Stags and the Red Foxes are coming off their first conference losses of the season, as the Stags fell 61-45 to the Rider Broncs at Alumni Hall on Wednesday. Samantha Cooper completed her seventh double-double of the season in the setback with a team-high in both points (14) and rebounds (11). Her seventh double-doubles ties her with Niagara's Victoria Rampado for the conference lead and ranks her 39th in the country. She is one double-double shy from her total of eight last season.
 
Casey Foley also had a notable game against Rider, tying her career-high with four steals for the third time in the last four games. Through the first four conference games, Foley leads the MAAC with 3.5 steals per contest. Her 14 steals is the most by a Stag through the first four MAAC games in at least 15 years.
 
Foley has helped the Stags' defense hold as one of the best in the conference, as the Stags have held their opponents to the third lowest field goal percentage (.353) during the early stretch.
 
The Red Foxes are also coming off a setback, 62-56 to league-leading Quinnipiac on Thursday afternoon. Marist has been very dangerous on both sides of the ball, leading the conference with 68.5 points scored per game and ranking fourth with 65.0 points allowed. Marist has accomplished this by being the most accurate shooting team in the MAAC with a .431 field goal percentage while holding their opponents to a league best .386 shooting percentage.
 
The Red Foxes have three players who average double figures in scoring with last year's MAAC Rookie of the Year Rebekah Hand leading the way with 15.9 per game. Along with Hand, Virginia Tech transfer Alana Gilmer nets 14.3 on nearly 47 percent of her shots and junior Maura Fitzpatrick adds 10.7. One of the deepest teams in the league, Marist has five players who have dished out at least 30 assists and six student-athletes shooting better than 43 percent from the floor.
 
The Stags will have a quick turnaround following the game as they take on Saint Peter's on the George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall on Monday at 7pm.