FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Through the first six MAAC games, it's been all smiles for the Fairfield University Women's Basketball team, and tonight the Stags gave themselves even more reasons to smile. The Stags enjoyed the best 3-point shooting night in program history, connecting on 67 percent of their long-range shots leading to a dominant 87-47 victory over Manhattan to improve their conference record to a perfect 6-0. The Stags remain one of two unbeaten teams in the MAAC as they continue their best conference start in 20 years.
 
"All we talked about before the game was coming out with a little intensity and a real focus," Head Coach Joe Frager said. "I think we had good energy on the defensive end of the floor and that really triggered what we did on the offensive end. We shared the ball well tonight, we made really good decisions, and we played with confidence."
 
Confidence was the word that continuously circled back from the Stags when describing their historic shooting night, especially from one of the players at the forefront Katie Armstrong. Armstrong led the Stags with a career-high 27 points, hitting a personal best five of her six attempts from behind the arc. Overall, Armstrong went 11-for-14 from the field, tying her with Gail Strumpf (2001) and Tricia Sacca (1991) as the ninth best shooting night in Fairfield history.
 
"There was just so much confidence," Armstrong said. "It makes a huge difference hitting your first shot, second shot, and getting on a roll. I think it was confidence, playing relaxed, and playing at home definitely helped."
 
Armstrong tallied 19 of her career-high 27 in the first half as she went 8-for-10 from the field and 3-for-4 from behind the arc in the first 20 minutes. Ironically, Armstrong missed her first 3-point attempt in Fairfield's first possession, but that was no indication on how the game would go as she would hit five-straight 3-point attempts. Those 19 points helped the Stags grab a 19 point lead in the locker room after the team netted 44 points, the most in a half this season.
 
Obviously, Armstrong's 27 points is the statistic that grabs your attention, but several Stags contributed to the historic shooting night with Sam Kramer netting 20, her second 20 point game of her career. Kramer also went 4-for-5 from deep as Fairfield connected on 12 of their first 15 attempts from behind the arc before missing their final three.
 
The 87 points is the most since they scored 90 in a double overtime win over Bryant in the WBI First Round game in 2014. It is the most points they tallied in regulation since netting 94 against Saint Peter's on Dec. 2, 2004.
 
In total, the Stags went 34-for-56 from the field good for 61 percent from the field. That is the fifth best single game number in school history and the best since Jan. 7, 2006 against Rider.
 
Besides Armstrong's personal best, Andrea Hernangomez also tallied a career-high as she entered double figures for the first time as a Stag with 11 points. She also helped the stifling Fairfield defense with three blocked shots.
 
The Stags, who entered as the best defensive team in the MAAC, limited Manhattan to 36 percent shooting, including a 17 percent clip from behind the arc.
 
The Stags were also able to control the ball against a Manhattan squad that leads the MAAC in steals per game, as they turned the ball over just 12 times compared to a season-high 23 assists. Kendra Landy, Kramer, and Armstrong all recorded four assists while Lou Lopez-Senechal led the passing effort with five dimes.
 
Fairfield will continue to build on this momentum when they travel to reigning MAAC Champions Quinnipiac on Saturday at 4pm.