ALBANY, N.Y. – The Fairfield University Women's Basketball rose and shined early in the morning in the first game of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships behind a season-high 27-point first quarter effort leading to a 74-69 victory in Albany, N.Y. With the victory, the Stags will advance to take on the top-seeded Quinnipiac Bobcats on Friday at 1pm.
 
"They were really motivated to play today," Head Coach Joe Frager said. "If the tip-off was at 6am you would have seen the same energy out of this group."
 
In the earliest game played in several years for Fairfield, the Stags responded with a season-high 29 field goals made and was one assist shy of matching the year's best as they dished out 23 helpers in today's victory.
 
Ten of those assists came on the 11 field goals in the first quarter, as Fairfield would start off the contest with a 27-14 first quarter lead. The 27 points were the most scored by the Stags in any quarter this season.  Casey Foley was at the forefront of that attack as she began her final MAAC Championships by hitting her first three shots from behind the arc and dished out four assists in the first period.
 
The game was tied just once in the first half as Maggie McIntyre answered a Lou Lopez-Senechal 3-pointer to tie the game at 3-3. Fairfield would score six of the next nine points with two Foley long range shots. Foley helped control the tempo early on as the Stags pushed the ball more than they have this season, leading to a fast break layup from Lopez-Senechal to give Fairfield a 13-point lead at the end of the first.
 
Foley's fourth 3-pointer of the first half would give the Stags their largest lead of the game at 16 just 30 seconds into the second quarter.
 
A final second 3-pointer by Niagara cut Fairfield's halftime lead to 11 as they led 44-33 going into the locker room.
 
Niagara would erase that deficit to just two points in the final minute of the third quarter on another McIntyre 3-pointer.
 
The Purple Eagles kept fighting and took the lead twice in the final quarter. All MAAC First Team member Jai Moore gave Niagara a 62-61 lead and was awarded a 3-point opportunity after Lopez-Senechal was whistled for a blocking foul, her fifth of the game.
 
Lopez-Senechal would finish with her fourth 20-point game of the season going 8-for-12 from the floor.
 
Fairfield would rally around their teammate and grab the lead on the fifth 3-pointer by Foley with four minutes remaining in the game. Sam Kramer would follow with a driving layup and Khadidiatou Diouf capped off the mini 7-0 run with a jumper to give Fairfield a 68-62 lead.
 
Niagara would cut the deficit to just three, but Kramer would not allow the Purple Eagles any closer as she connected on all six of her free throws down the stretch.
 
Four Stags finished in double figures with Lopez-Senechal leading the team with 20. Foley would chip in 17 while Katie Armstrong contributed 16 on 8-for-12 shooting.
 
The Stags dished out 23 assists on the day, and went on a stretch with 14 assists and just one turnover in the first half.
 
Fairfield will now face the top-seeded Quinnipiac Bobcats at 1pm in the MAAC Quarterfinals.