For the Fairfield women’s basketball team, Friday night’s scrimmage was a tale of two halves.

The Stags scored twice as many points as American International during the second half en route to a 73-50 victory at Alumni Hall.

“We took a while to settle in,” said Head Coach Dianne Nolan.

American International, a Division II school which was recently selected number one in its conference preseason rankings, held its own against the Stags during the first half.

The Yellow Jackets were able to stay tight due to drives to the basket which yielded frequent easy buckets. They shot 70 percent from the free-throw line and 34 percent from the field.

“We tried to play man-to-man defense,” said Nolan. “They were a little bit more athletic at some positions though.”

Turnovers and fouls hurt Fairfield during the first half. The Stags only got to the line five times, as most of their shots came from beyond the three-point line. At halftime, the Stags led by only two points, 31-29.

The second half was a totally different story for the Stags. Fairfield started on a 10-0 scoring run, one of three different 10-0 runs they would amass during the half. The Stags would eventually outscore the Yellow Jackets 42-21 during the second half.

“We shared the basketball well,” said Nolan. “We ran and we challenged for rebounds.”

The Stags finished the game with 17 total assists and 45 rebounds. Three different Stags had four assists, and Candice Lindsay ’07 led the team in rebounds with nine.

The defense was outstanding. The Stags pressured the ball in the full-court relentlessly, causing the Yellow Jackets to commit multiple turnovers. Stephanie Cziria ’08 had four blocks and two steals to lead the Stags.

“We stayed strictly point zone during the second half,” said Nolan. “That was definitely one of the differences.”

The Stags also improved their shooting in the second half. Fairfield shot 65 percent from the field, including 50 percent from behind the three-point line.

The scoring was balanced, with Stephanie Ryan ’08 finishing with a team-high 13 points. Ryan was one of six Stags to score seven or more points during the contest.

The newcomers also showed off their skills. Baendu Lowenthal ’09 revealed her ability to be an effective scorer in the paint, with seven points. Shireyll Moore ’09 pulled down seven rebounds, and Megan Caskin ’09 showed the ability to run the point well by distributing four assists.

“We did what I hoped we could do,” said Nolan.

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