The Stags sealed a 63-57 victory over the Canisius Golden Griffins after Alexys Vazquez ‘14 sunk four clutch free throws. The women’s basketball team is now 11-7 overall and 6-3 in the MAAC after winning their sixth consecutive meeting against Canisius.
It was a tale of two halves for the Stags who got off to a roaring start in this contest. In the opening minutes, Vazquez, Katie Cizynski ‘14 and Kristin Schatzlein ‘16 were firing on all cylinders as they hit early jump shots and three-pointers to give the team a 17-5 lead just 6 minutes into the game.
“If I hit outside shots, it opens up our inside and vice versa,” said Vazquez. “A lot of teams like to crowd inside so when we hit outside shots, they can’t do that anymore,” said Cizynski about the team’s long-range prominence.
The Stags maintained a double-digit lead for much of the first half and stuck to their jump shots to maintain that lead. Coach Frager kept his starters in for most of that first half, making his first substitutions 11 minutes into the first period. Point guard Felicia DaCruz ‘15 actually saw all 40 minutes of playing time.
After the Golden Griffins began implementing the full-court press in the closing minutes of the first half, they slowly shrunk the Fairfield lead. After making some baskets and playing efficient defense, Canisius climbed within nine at halftime with a score of 36-27. Stag focal point Cizynski committed some fouls and had to sit the last few minutes, which contributed to the close score.
Canisius coach Terry Zeh sent his team out early after the first half closed to have them shoot and do lay-up lines, hoping to generate a spark. The Stags, not requiring any such spark, relied on their shooting to assist them early in the half. Shots by Cizynski, Schatzlein, and Brittany Obi-Tabot ‘14 helped maintain a nine point lead six minutes into the period.
At this point, the Golden Griffins went on a run of their own. Bench player Crystal Porter ‘16 hit some important shots to trim the lead to just 44-3 with 12 minutes left in the game. Shortly after, Cizynski recorded her fourth foul of the game and sat on the bench for a good amount of the half.
“When that happens, other players really need to step up,” said Coach Joe Frager. “I think Katie’s one of the best players in the league. We knew that from here on out that she’s gonna be a focal point.”
With Cizynski out of the game, the Golden Griffins capitalized on every opportunity they were given. Canisius stepped up its defense and made it difficult for Fairfield to get any shots off before the shot clock expired. After another Porter basket, the score stood at 52-50 with the Stags leading by just one basket.
“They’re a good team. They started hitting their shots,” said Cizynski about the second half slide. “We had a few defensive errors.”
Vasquez agreed: “We were really hot when we came out of the gate, but no team’s really gonna keep that shooting consistency the whole game so we let them get on a run,” she said.
After a Fairfield timeout, Cizynski re-entered the contest as Canisius guard Kayla Hoohuli tied the game up with a score of 52-52. Luckily, consecutive buckets by Cizynski and Obi-Tabot gave the Stags a four point cushion.
The Golden Griffins then scored two baskets of their own to tie the game up again. But, with just 45 seconds left, Vazquez hit a huge three-pointer to give the Stags a 59-56 lead. After Canisius was unable to score on the next possession, DaCruz was fouled and sent to the free throw line as Fairfield was now in the bonus. Unfortunately, she could not capitalize on the shot. Golden Griffin Crystal Porter then made one of two shots from the free throw line to set the score at 59-57 Fairfield with just 13 seconds left of play.
On the inbounds play, Vazquez was fouled and sent to the free throw line. However, a technical foul was also called on the Canisius bench which resulted in another two free throw attempts for Vazquez. She made all four of them and let the clock run out as the Stags won 63-57 in a thriller of a ball game.
“I’m a shooter so missing a free throw isn’t really good,” said Vazquez. “Those free throws were really big. When we’re in a situation like this, we know that we want Alexys on the line, “said Cizynski.
With this victory, the women’s basketball team is now 6-3 in the MAAC division and looks to build upon its success in its future divisional matchups.
“It’s a grind from here on out. It’s about win and advance,” said Coach Frager. “I told the kids how proud I am of them because they’re a good team.”
The Stags face Canisius again in an away game on Feb. 28, a game in which the girls will go for their seventh straight victory over the Golden Griffins.
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