EMMITSBURG, Md. (December 29, 2022) – Mount St. Mary's women's basketball faced an uphill climb for most of the afternoon against the Fairfield Stags. By the final horn, the visitors held on to triumph 62-56 over the Mountaineers.
 
The defeat is the Mount's first loss at home this season, dropping to 5-7 (1-2 MAAC) for the year. The Stags remain undefeated in conference play at 3-0 and are 7-5 overall.
 
Junior Jessica Tomasetti led the way in scoring for the Mount, matching a game high with 19 points. Jo Raflo came close to a double-double with nine points and seven rebounds. Freshman Carissa Dunham entered the starting lineup for the first time as a collegiate player, logging two rebounds and an assist over 15 minutes. Aryna Taylor came off the bench to supply nine points, all on threes.
 
Turnovers and foul trouble hindered the home side's chances. 20 infractions and 17 giveaways enabled Fairfield to log 10 more shot attempts. 14 of the visitors' total points came from turnovers. All of Mount St. Mary's defeats occur when they give away possessions as much as or more than their competition.
 
Fairfield's Janelle Brown matched Tomasetti for the game high in points. Callie Cavanaugh came close to her average with 15 points but played a role in creating havoc for the Mount with seven drawn fouls. Izabela Nicoletti-Leite also reached double figures with 11.
 
Initial proceedings looked favorable as a trey for Taylor with 5:15 left in the first period gave the Mount an 8-3 lead. This proved to be a false omen, however, as this was the team's largest lead. Fairfield rallied for a 9-0 run, capped off by a three from Nicoletti-Leite. Tomasetti's layup at the horn put the contest within a possession heading to the second quarter.
 
Continuing to fire on all cylinders, Fairfield amassed their largest advantage midway through the second frame at 21-13. Mount countered at several junctions, closing in to as few as one point on Taylor's second triple of the afternoon. Halftime saw the Stags up 27-22.
 
Once again fighting to climb out of an eight-point deficit, the Mountaineers made their run toward the end of the third quarter. Keeping the Stags at bay for more than two minutes on defense, Jasmine Lindsay-Huskey and Michaela Harrison logged three pointers to pull back within a point. Foul shots by Natalie Villaflor leveled the contest at 40, but a four-point swing by Brown gave Fairfield the lead back.
 
A pair of triples by Tomasetti kept the Mount's hopes alive, and momentum seemed to break through when Harrison drove in a layup to give the home team a 48-47 lead with 7:50 remaining. Undeterred, Fairfield took the advantage right back on a triple from Brown. From then on, the Mountaineers battled back to create opportunities, but the lead never swung back in their direction. Coming within two points twice, the Stags either drew fouls or made clutch shots to preserve their win.
 
Finishing out the calendar year, Mount St. Mary's travels to Quinnipiac for a New Year's Eve matinee. The Mountaineers and Bobcats tip-off at 1 p.m. from M&T Bank Arena.