LOUNDONVILLE, N.Y. – This year everyone needs to be ready to step up when their number is called and tonight in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) opener it was Sam Lewis. The grad student led the Stags with a career-high 21 points, including 11 in a crucial fourth quarter as the Stags rallied in the second half to take down the Siena Saints 68-56 to start conference play.
 
"If you want to be a good team you need people who are going to step up," Head Coach Joe Frager said. "It's something we've been stressing all along, playing back-to-back days and everybody has to be ready. As anyone knows if you're going to be a good team you need three or four kids capable of getting double figures for you. I'm very pleased with what I've seen early in the season with different players stepping forth and playing real well for us."
 
The Stags faced their largest deficit of the game, trailing by nine points early in the third quarter after the Saints shot 58 percent in the second quarter and took a 37-28 lead. Fairfield's defense would clamp down as the Stags made their run, holding Siena to just six points for the final seven minutes of the quarter, and leaving Siena off the scoreboard entirely for the last 6:35.
 
That allowed Fairfield to claw back, scoring 18 of the final 24 points of the quarter. Katie Armstrong started that run with a traditional three point play and Lewis would add five points over that span. Lewis' jumper started a 10-0 run to end the third quarter, as the Stags grabbed the lead on an Eden Nibbelink layup and increased their advantage with two free throws from Armstrong.
 
After the Saints cut the Fairfield lead to three with eight minutes left, Lewis would be the playmaker down the stretch, tallying 11 points during the stretch run by knocking down three 3-pointers. Lewis started her clutch scoring with a 5-0 run to put the Fairfield lead at 55-47 at the 6:34 mark and iced the game with back-to-back 3-pointers to increase the Stags lead to 12, their largest of the contest. Armstrong also added seven points during the crucial fourth quarter as the duo combined to tally 18 of the team's 22 points in the final quarter.
 
Lewis set career-highs in every offensive category as the graduate student finished with 21 points on 5-for-10 shooting from behind the arc. Lewis carried the Stags' shooting from deep as the rest of the squad went 1-for-9 from 3-point land.
 
In total, four Stags finished in double figures in scoring with Armstrong adding 18 and Lou Lopez-Senechal (11) and Callie Cavanaugh (10) following suit.
 
Armstrong would log all 40 minutes while pulling down a team-high eight rebounds and shooting 50 percent from the floor. Cavanaugh tallied a season-high in points on 5-for-9 shooting from the floor and also pulled in seven boards.
 
The nation's assist leader, Rachel Hakes, added five helpers without a turnover with three of those coming in the crucial fourth quarter.
 
The Stags and the Saints will close out their two-game series tomorrow at 7pm on ESPNU.