FAIRFIELD, Conn­. – Fairfield University Women's Basketball's senior guard Janelle Brown became the talk of the town as her career-high 35 points led the Stags over their crosstown rivals Sacred Heart in an instant classic at the Pitt Center. The reigning MAAC Player of the Week shot an amazing 15-for-17 including the game-tying layup with less than a second left to force overtime in leading the Stags to a 66-61 win over the Pioneers.
 
"It was a gutsy, gritty, tough win," Head Coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis said. "I'm proud of how we were really tough in overtime. Our conditioning that we talked about since June paid off. Nellie put us on our back and took us to the win."
 
"It was a team win," Brown said. "I understand my 35 points is my career-high but I couldn't do it without my teammates and without the coaches supporting me. We were down the whole game but that didn't stop us from actually fighting back and getting this dub."
 
Brown netted the final eight field goals for the Stags including the game-tying layup that tied the game at 57-57 and forced overtime. She tallied 15 points in the final 5:20 of regulation including four 'And-1' opportunities.
 
She scored 23 of Fairfield's final 25 points in the game and assisted on the lone other basket in the fourth quarter. In total, Brown recorded 28 points on an outstanding 12-for-13 shooting in the second half.
 
Her .882 shooting percentage ties her with the second-best shooting mark in a game in Fairfield history, tying the mark set by Katrina Fields in 1983. It is also the seventh best shooting mark this season in the NCAA, and the best by any student-athlete with at least 15 made shots.
 
"She's one of the toughest players I've ever coached," Coach Thaibult-DuDonis said. "Not only did she play hard but she played poised. That's a game last year where she might have had some additional charges and fouls but she did a great job of keeping her head."
 
Brown helped the Stags recover from a five-point deficit with under five minutes remaining as she converted the first of her three 3-point plays down the stretch. Her back-to-back layups gave the Stags a four-point lead at 55-51 with 2:20 left.
 
While Brown was dominating for the Stags, she was match by Sacred Heart's superstar Ny'Ceara Pryor in what turned this rivalry game into an instant classic. Pryor would finish with 26 points of her own including four-straight points that gave the Pioneers a two-point lead in the final minute.
 
The Stags would get the defensive stop after a turnover, setting up Brown's heroics with 0.9 seconds left on the clock.
 
Fairfield would continue that momentum in the overtime period outscoring the Pioneers 9-4 with Brown hitting both of the field goals, including a 3-point shot that gave the Stags the lead for good.
 
Brown's 35 points matches the fourth-highest single game mark in Fairfield history, tying Tricia Sacca (Fabbri) who tallied 35 on Nov. 23, 1989. As mentioned, her 15-for-17 shooting was the second most accurate mark in Fairfield history, tying Katrina Fields in 1983.
 
Brown and the Stags are back in action next Thursday when they play their first home game in nearly a month, welcoming St. John's to campus for a 7pm tipoff.