VESTAL, N.Y. – The Fairfield University Women's Basketball team cut a 22-point deficit to just five in the final minute, but ran out of time as the Binghamton Bearcats held on for a 77-72 victory. Callie Cavanaugh led the Stags with 25-points, while Izabela Nicoletti-Leite added a career-best 24 on six made 3-pointers.
 
After struggling from the floor in the first half, the Stags found their footing in the second half by shooting 50 percent (16-for-32) including a 57 percent clip from deep (8-for-14). Fairfield found themselves trailing by as many 22 with seven minutes left in the third quarter.
 
Fairfield was able to cut that deficit in half in the remaining seven minutes helped out by four 3-pointers, including a long-range basket by Nicoletti-Leite to end the period.
 
The Bearcats were able to hold off the Stags in the final quarter despite an impressive offensive showing by Cavanaugh who tallied the first 11 points by the Stags.
 
The Stags were able to have one last chance as they put together an 11-2 run in just over two minutes. Nicoletti-Leite was the forefront on the final push with eight points during that stretch including the 3-pointer that cut the deficit to five with 1:02 left.
 
Every time the Stags would claw back, Binghamton found the big bucket as the team shot 57 percent from the field and 62 percent from behind the arc.
 
Binghamton was able to grab a sizeable lead as they built a 16-0 run stretching into the second quarter. Fairfield would go nearly nine minutes without a point and 10 minutes without a field goal until Mimi Rubino stopped the stretch with a jumper.
 
Cavanaugh led the Stags with 25 points including the 900th of her career. She has reached 25 or more points three times in the first seven games of the season. Nicoletti-Leite had the best shooting night of her career as she went 6-for-10 from deep with a career-high 24 points.
 
After hauling in a career-high 15 rebounds at Fordham, Janelle Brown once again led the team on the glass with nine boards.
 
Fairfield will close out their three-game road trip when they visit Dayton, Ohio, for their first-ever match against the Flyers on Wednesday night at 7pm.