FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University Women's Basketball team will begin the second half of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) season when they host the Iona Gaels at Leo D. Mahoney Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Stags are coming off a thrilling victory over Quinnipiac to maintain their first-place standing in the league. In total, the Stags have won 33-straight games against MAAC competition which is the second-longest streak in program history and the fifth-longest active streak in the nation.
 
The Stags' defense allowed just two Quinnipiac field goals over the final 8:50 of the game to outscore the Bobcats 18-9 after breaking a tied score in the fourth quarter.
 
Izabela Nicoletti Leite connected on two big 3-pointers during that span including a dagger that put the Stags up eight at the 3:59 mark.
 
Overall, the Stags had their best shooting night of the season by hitting 50 percent of their 3-point attempts while connecting on 12 for the night. Nicoletti Leite led the accurate shooting by going a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc. Kendall McGruder also had her best shooting night of the season by going 3-for-5 from deep.
 
The Stags actually had a balanced offensive output with four Stags in double-figures. Cyanne Coe tied for the team lead with 13 points on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting. Over her last three games she is shooting an outstanding 94 percent from the field with a 17-for-18 line. For the season, she is shooting 71 percent overall and a very impressive 77 percent in conference games, which is nearly 190 points higher than the next closest MAAC athlete.
 
Iona enters play with a 6-4 conference record which sits fifth in the MAAC after winning two of their last three. Zoey Ward is the team's leading scorer with 9.6 points per game while Erin Leary controls the boards with 5.2 rebounds per contest.
 
The Stags will next prepare for back-to-back road games next week starting with a Thursday night matchup at Marist at 7pm.