NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - The Niagara women's basketball team dropped a 68-38 decision against the Fairfield Stags on Tuesday night at the Gallagher Center.

"We really wanted to push the tempo tonight because they (Fairfield) limit possessions, but when you fall behind, 10 or 20 points, it is tough to get back in. " head coach Kendra Faustin said. "They are really good and really good at what they do."

Freshman forward Katie Gattuso put Niagara (1-12, 0-2 MAAC) on the board first with a layup, but Fairfield (9-3, 2-0 MAAC) would go on a 25-4 run behind 4-for-7 shooting from behind the arc. The Stags made five 3-pointers in the half and shot 43.8 percent (7-for-16) for the game.

The Purple Eagles would brush off a sluggish shooting start, but found themselves trailing 37-20 at halftime. Trailing 50-24 with 12 minutes remaining, NU started to chip away at the lead by using a full-court press which ignited 14-4 run. However, Fairfield would keep Niagara scoreless for the last six minutes.

Niagara, who was playing without sophomore floor general Kayla Stroman for the fifth straight game, had the bulk of its offense coming from the freshman class. Guard Chanel Johnson led the team with six points, while forward Shy Britton and Gattuso chipped in with five and four points, respectively. Britton tied a career-high with five blocks.

The Purple Eagles will venture to the metro New York area for their first road conference weekend, beginning at the Manhattan Jaspers on Saturday at 2 p.m.