The Fairfield University women's basketball team shot 51 percent from the field as it improved to 4-0 with a 60-50 win over Cal-Poly in the opening game of the Holiday Beach Classic in San Luis Obispo, Calif.  The Stag will take on North Dakota State on Saturday at 2 p.m. pacific time, to wrap up play in the tournament.

The Stags held a 28-16 halftime lead at the intermission and started the second half of play hitting 8-10 from the field to extend the lead to 19, 44-25, on a Sabra Wrice jumper, with 12:47 to play in the game.  The Mustangs (2-3) responded with a 9-2 run over the next 2:13 to close to within 12 points, 46-34.

For the next three minutes the game was controlled by the Stags, as they outscored the host 8-1, to push the lead back to 19 points, 54-35.  The teams traded baskets, with Meka Werts scoring her sixth straight point with 6:18 to play, to put Fairfield ahead by 19 (56-37) for the last time.  The Stags would score just four points from that point through the end of the game, but would not let the Mustangs close to single-digits.

Wrice led all scorers in the game, totaling 20 points for the second time in four games to start the year.  She shot 8-14 from the field, and hit 6-8 from the field in the second half, as she scored 15 points.  Wrice also had four boards, two steals and two assists in 30 minutes of action.

Baendu Lowenthal had her first double-double of the season, finishing with 18 points and 10 rebounds.  The junior knocked down 7-12 from the field and was 4-6 at the line.  She also had two assists in her 33 minutes of action.  Werts and Tara Flaherty both had six points in the game, as nine players scored at least one point.  Of the Stags 11 players to see action in the game, 10 recorded at least one rebound, with six corralling three or more in the win.

Stephanie Cziria played 19 minutes off of the bench, finishing with four points, four blocked shots and a rebound.  Stephanie Geehan fouled out having played only 19 minutes as well, finishing with two points, three rebounds, three blocked shots and two assists.

Fairfield started slowly, opening 0-5 from the field, and falling behind 6-4 5:14 into the game.  Lowenthal tied the game at the 13:16 mark and Shireyll Moore hit a free throw at the 12:04 mark to put Fairfield ahead 7-6, a lead it would not relinquish.  Those three points were the start of an 8-0 Stag run, leading to a 13-6 advantage with 8:55 to play in the first half.  The Stag extended the run to 18-2, taking a 14-point lead, 22-8, with 3:56 to play in the first half.  Cal-Poly cut the lead to nine points 22-13 and 24-15 in the closing minute of the half, but Wrice and Flaherty hit jumpers in the final 32 seconds to push the lead to 12 at the break.

The Stags hit 25-49 from the field in the game, 51.0 percent, including knocking down 56 percent, 14-25 in the second half.  Fairfield was good on 3-9 from behind the arc, but was just 7-17 from the free throw line.

Cal-Poly was held to just 27.5 percent from the field, hitting14-51.  The Stags held the Mustangs to 0-9 from behind the three point line, but the Mustangs were 22-29 from the free throw line.