FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Niagara Purple Eagles battled hard to the very end to earn a 66-64 victory over Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opponent Fairfield Stags on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Hall.

In a balanced effort, four Purple Eagles scored in double figures led by freshman forward Kaylee Stroemple, who hit 7-of-8 from the field, and was one rebound shy of a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds. 

Meghan McGuinness, Victoria Rampado and Taylor McKay all had 14 points. McGuinness shot 5-for-10 from the field and a perfect 2-for-2 from the free-throw line while adding three assists. In only 18 minutes of play, Rampado went 5-for-7 from the field and also added seven rebounds for the Purple Eagles. McKay contributed five rebounds and three assists for the Purple and White.
 
"Overall, top to bottom it was a complete team effort," head coach Kendra Faustin said of her team after the game.  "Defensively, this was a step forward for us because it's a different type of team that we are used to playing and we got some big stops.  It was a great road league win which are not easy to come by."
 
The teams traded baskets throughout the game which resulted in ten lead changes and eleven ties. The opening minutes of the first half were controlled by the Purple Eagles as Niagara (7-6, 3-1 MAAC) opened up the game with two consecutive baskets from Rampado to give NU the initial lead.  Over the next eight minutes, NU produced a 16-11 lead before the Stags (2-10, 1-2 MAAC) fought back to go up 24-18 with 5:44 left until intermission.

Two baskets from Stroemple and a three-pointer by McGuinness brought the Purple Eagles back as there wasn't much separation between the two on the scoreboard over the final minutes of the first half. The two teams went into halftime tied, 35-35.
 
Niagara opened the first ten minutes of the second half on a 14-6 run taking its largest lead of the game, 49-41. Fairfield was able to take a 54-53 lead with under five minutes left in the game after going on a 13-4 run of their own. Down the stretch, two big three-pointers from Kelly Van Leeuwen and Stroemple both tied the game. Ultimately, McKay scored the final basket of the game to give Niagara the 66-64 victory.
 
"Victoria getting in foul trouble was very concerning, but Kaylee picked up the slack and Gabby Baldasare came in and had some huge defensive possessions," said Faustin. "I was very proud of our character that we never wavered, we never doubted and we kept fighting till the very end."
 
NU shot 53.1-percent (26-for-49) from the field and were 10-for-14 (71.4-percent) from the free throw line for the game. The Stags, on the other hand, shot 44.4-percent (28-for-63) from the field but 77.8-percent (7-for-9) from the charity stripe. The Purple Eagles held a 40-23 rebound advantage which mark their ninth game they have outrebounded their opponent.

The 66-64 victory was the first time the Purple Eagles have beaten the Stags in Alumni Hall since 1999.
 
Niagara is back on the court this Friday (Jan. 9) as the Siena Saints visit the Gallagher Center for a 11:00 a.m. 'Kids Day' tip-off.