#4 Stags at #2 Quinnipiac Friday with FREE webcast

[FU73]

The Stags travel to Hamden, CT on Friday to play #2 Quinnipiac at 5:00 pm on their Senior Day. Quinnipiac is (11-1) at home and averages 587 fans in their TD Bank Sports Center. Quinnipiac has the nation's sixth longest winning streak at 15 and beat the Stags 64-55 in Alumni Hall on January 22. Regardless of the outcome, the Stags will play in the No. 4 vs No. 5 Quarterfinal game in the MAAC Tournament next Saturday at 2:30pm. Fairfield’s opponent is still to be determined between Manhattan, Monmouth, and Siena.

The Stags season finale will be available as a FREE video webcast through the Quinnipiac website.

THE BOBCATS SCOUTING REPORT: The defending MAAC Champions have hit their stride over the last month and if the Stags were to win this game they would end the nation’s sixth-longest winning streak which currently stands at 15 games. Quinnipiac has a similar defensive style as Iona, as the Bobcats force 19.9 turnovers per game, which stands as the 19th best number in the country. What makes that number even more remarkable is that opponents are averaging just 12.3 assists per game, putting their assist-turnover ratio at 0.6. Inside, they are a force with 5.3 blocks per game, which is also the 19th best in the nation. What separates Quinnipiac from others is their depth. Eleven different players are averaging double figures in minutes, and over 2.4 points per game. On their senior day, the Bobcats will honor four seniors who account for just 17 percent of their scoring led by Maria Napolitano at 10.5. Aryn McClure and Paula Strautmane could both win the MAAC Rookie of the Year honors.

FAIRFIELD - Quinnipiac
Scoring: 1660 - 1809
Per Game: 59.3 - 67.0
Scoring Margin: +1.7 - +7.4
Scoring Defense: 57.6 - 59.6
Field Goals-Att: 625-1527 - 624-1640
Field Goal Pct.: .409 - .380
Field Goal Defense: .395 - .376
3-Pt FG-Att: 122-368 - 193-611
3-Pt FG Pct.: .332 - .316
3-Pt FG Per Game: 4.4 - 6.9
3-Pt FG Defense: .306 - .289
Free Throws: 288-404 - 368-541
FT Pct.: .713 - .680
FT Made Per Game: 10.3 - 13.1
Rebounds: 952 - 1032
Rebounds Per Game: 34.0 - 38.2
Rebound Margin: -1.2 - -1.1
Assists: 429 - 419
Per Game: 15.3 - 15.5
Turnovers: 368 - 422
Per Game: 13.1 - 15.1
Margin: +1.1 - +4.6
Assist/TO Ratio: 1.2 1.0
Steals: 169 - 260
Per Game: 6.0 - 9.3
Blocks: 79 - 148
Per Game: 2.8 - 5.3
Win/Loss Streak: L2 - W15

Game Notes:
www.nmnathletics.com/pdf9/4544106.pdf

Live Video:
quinnipiacbobcats.com/watch/?Live=201

Live Stats:
www.sidearmstats.com/quinnipiac/wbball/

[FU73]

Stags down 22-38 at the half.

Stags outscored 22/7 in the Second Quarter.

Kristin Schatzlein with 6 points
Sam Cooper with 6 points
Khadidiatou Diouf with 4 points
Kelsey Carey with 2 points
Helena Orts with 2 points
Kristine Miller with 2 points

[FU73]

Stags with 15 turnovers 3 minutes into the Third Quarter.

[FU73]

Stags down 49-65 at the end of the Third Quarter.

Stags with 17 turnovers to only 5 for Quinnipiac.

Kelsey Carey with 13 points.

Smith and Cooper with 4 fouls

[FU73]

Stags lose 58-83 and were outscored 18/9 in the final quarter.

Quinnipiac outshot the Stags by 20 more attempts 65/45 .

Stags with 21 turnovers and Quinnipiac with only 5.

Scoring only 7 points to Quinnipiac's 22 in the Second Quarter was too deep a hole to get out of.

Not a good way to end the MAAC Regular Season for the Stags (16-13)(11-9) with a 3 game losing streak to the top three teams. Quinnipiac (21-7)(16-3) ends with a 16 game winning streak and only has MAAC losses to Marist, Monmouth and Manhattan.

Box Score:
www.fairfieldstags.com/fls/32500/Stats/WBB/2015-16/qui0226.htm

[ctghostman]

Sacca is a heck of a coach.

[mattygstag]

I actually attended this game. Quinnipiac is the real deal and a real contender for another MAAC championship this year. Also, as this game was ending on the basketball side the men's hockey game was just starting against Brown on the hockey side. The latter game was absolutely packed and the crowd was rockin!! It was SRO four or five deep all along the upper concourse. There had to have been almost four thousand people there. The game aired live on SNY. I saw more than a few Fairfield Prep kids watching the game. They had their Prep jackets on and they sat together as a group. These are kids that would attend FU hockey games if we had a team.

[Stagophile]

One of the best high school hockey programs in the nation on our campus and we drop hockey...GENIUS!

[sobro]

You were there and saw it first hand. Honestly, how does the University expect Coach Frager to recruit to Alumni Hall?

[FU73]

Honestly, how does the University expect Coach Frager to recruit to Alumni Hall?

AH most definitely is a problem and a hindrance to the Stag Women's Basketball program but apparently not a big enough problem to the University to do something about it. AH has been allowed to become the worst home court building in the MAAC. Having potential recruits playing high school ball in better facilities just makes recruiting even more difficult when choosing between Fairfield, Marist, Quinnipiac and Monmouth.

Siena has an ongoing capital campaign and a plan to renovate their ARC building for Siena Women's Basketball because " Our facilities now lag behind those of our peer institutions, let alone the colleges and universities whose national reputations for academic excellence and athletic success we seek to rival". However, the AH renovation of the "bad high school gym" that "is not up to division one standardsrenovation keeps getting ignored "until more funds are available". sienacampaign.com/portfolio/athletics/

From Siena College:

John D’Argenio, Siena Vice President and Director of Athletics:
“When you’re trying to build a consistently winning mid-major program, you certainly need the leadership, coaches and student athletes, but you also need a home for them.”

From Fairfield University:
www.fairfieldstags.com/fls/32500/pdf/37882_FriendsofFfldAthletics_7.21.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=32500

Facilities
Our facilities say a lot about what is important to us. Attractive, modernized facilities are
essential to the viability of Fairfield Athletics.
Recruitment
When recruits decide on a college, facilities rank in the top three factors of their
decision. Great facilities show prospective student-athletes — and coaches —
that the University is publicly committed to its Athletics programs, and that their
role is important.
Fan Experience
Great facilities enhance the experience of both fans and student-athletes

[co95]

AH will likely never see transformative renovations. However, there has been mention of an entirely new facility next to Walsh. I'm not sure where that would go (smack dab next to Raffety, or maybe tennis court footprint) but the U could certainly use a sharp, multi purpose space (think graduation, concerts,) that could seat 4-5 thousand. who knows...could happen.

[sobro]

By time that happens, it will be 2025. There is ZERO reason why Alumni Hall cannot be refurbished in the next two years and there isn't ONE reason why it wasn't done at the same time as the RecPlex.

[co95]

Unfortunately, AH was too small when it was originally built. Its constructed of massive, precast arches that can't be altered (other than tearing them down). I've seen reno plans that were floating around a few years back, and to make that space better within the existing bones, you actually LOSE seats.

[sobro]

You don't need more seats. Giving the Women's Basketball and Volleyball programs a first class facility with 1800-2000 seats would be more than appropriate.

[FU73]

The "Gymnasium" was not too small when it was built and similar in size to many of the basketball buildings at the time. The renovation plans that were on display in the AH lobby back in 2000 did not demo the 1958 precast concrete arches. A few seats were lost with that plan but it reconfigured the court into an even more intimidating "home court advantage" bowl design with chairback seating, a new facade, new restrooms and a real concession area.

NO MAAC Women's Basketball program needs more than 2,000 seats anyway and most of the men's programs don't either. Providence, Georgetown and Siena did not move their womens programs off campus when the men moved. Georgetown and PC renovated their on campus buildings and so is Siena planning to do the same and is currently raising the funds necessary.

A renovation of AH is possible and doable. I doubt that the University will ever commit the funds required to build a new $50-$70 million 4,000 seat basketball/convocation building on campus.