SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – The Fairfield University Women's Basketball team dropped a 74-44 road contest at Big East Seton Hall on Saturday afternoon, the middle game of their season opening three-game road trip. Katie Armstrong and Rachel Hakes paced the Stags as the duo each added nine points in the setback.
 
The Stags hung around during most of the first half against a Seton Hall squad that was picked to finish third in the Big East Preseason Poll.
 
Early jumpers from Armstrong and Lou Lopez-Senechal gave Fairfield their only two leads of the game, as the duo chipped in the first two shots of the game. After a 9-2 run by the home team, Armstrong connected on a 3-pointer at the 4:05 mark of the first quarter to put Fairfield within a possession with a 9-6 deficit. The Pirates would end the quarter on a 14-3 run to open up a 15 point advantage.
 
That lead would be stretched to 21 after two Desiree Elmore free throws. Just like they did in their season opening loss at Temple, the Fairfield defense clamped down towards the end of the first half. The Stags would end the half on a 10-1 run by forcing five turnovers in the finals six minutes.
 
Six of those points during that run came from Hakes, who tallied six-straight points for the Stags. Lopez-Senechal started the run with a 3-pointer and Molly Bauer finished the half with a free throw.
 
Fairfield would get within eight by netting seven of the first 10 points of the second half. Armstrong began the half on a jump shot on the team's first possession and Sam Kramer highlighted the run with a 4-point play, the second of her career. After Kramer made the free throw, the Stags cut the deficit to just 36-28 two minutes into the third quarter, but Seton Hall would go on a run of their own. The Pirates scored 10-straight points before a Callie Cavanaugh layup stopped the run four minutes later.
 
On the positive side of the ledger, the Stags limited the Big East Preseason Player of the Year Shadeen Samuels to just 12 points, nearly eight points under her Big East leading total from last season. The Stags also forced 17 turnovers with Kramer leading the team with three steals.
 
However, the Stags could not match the size of the Big East squad, losing the battle of the board 44-22.
 
The Stags will turn their attention to the final leg of their season opening road swing when they travel to LIU to face the Sharks on Wednesday at 7pm.