The Fairfield University women's basketball team, playing its third game in five days, and in a game that saw eight ties and 17 lead changes, upset visiting Atlantic Coast Conference member Boston College, 59-54, at the Arena at Harbor Yard.  With the win the Stags improve to 7-3, while the loss drops the Eagles to 7-3.

Trailing by a point (54-53), with 2:03 to play in the game Megan Caskin curled off a screen at the top of the key and found Lauren Groom on the baseline, where she knocked down a short jumper, putting Fairfield ahead 55-54.  Stephanie Geehan knocked down a pair of free throws with 1:01 to play and Baendu Lowenthal hit a jumper in the paint with 26 seconds to play to put the Eagles away.

The Stags defense did not allow a point in the final 3:56 of play, as the offense scored six straight points to win the game.  Fairfield forced 24 Boston College turnovers, with 12 steals, and held the visitor to just 39 percent from the field and 1-9 from behind the arc.

Sabra Wrice shot 6-14 from the field in the second half, scoring 15 points and dishing out three assists to keep the Stags in the game.

Fairfield entered the game shooting 55.8 percent from the free throw line, but hit 14-18 (77.8) , including 5-7 in the second half, to help earn the victory.

The teams had traded the lead several times in the latter portion of the second half and Boston College went ahead with 3:56 to play as Mickel Picco made the team's only three point field goal of the game The Stags defense did not allow a point in the final 3:56 of play, as the offense scored six straight points to win the game.  Fairfield forced 24 Boston College turnovers in the game, with 12 steals, and held the visitor to just 39 percent from the field and 1-9 from behind the arc.

Boston College led the Stags 26-25 at the intermission and started the second half with a 9-2 run, taking the largest lead of the game, 35-27, 2:26 into the half.  Fairfield was able to answer that run with seven straight points over the next 99 seconds, to get within a point, 35-34, but the Eagles pulled away again.  Boston College ran off five unanswered point, helped by a pair of Stag turnovers, to take a 42-36 lead with 12:46 to play.  From that point forward the momentum swung to Fairfield.

Neither team could gain space in the first half, partly because of turnovers, as Fairfield committed 11 and forced 13 Boston College miscues. Fairfield would lead by three points early, 9-6 (14:53) and 11-8 (12:28), while Boston College would take several four-point leads , the last 22-18 with 4:38 remaining in the half, and the Eagles led 26-25 at the intermission.  

Wrice finished the game as the Stags scoring leader, dumping in 24 points, on 8-24 shooting from the field. She added four assists and two steals in the contest. Lowenthal would put up 20 points, shooting 7-13 from the field and 6-6 from the line, in the contest.  She also had a team-high seven rebounds, with five on the offensive glass.  Caskin did not score in the game, but equaled Lowenthal's seven boards, four offensive, and recorded four steals and four assists.

Geehan finished with three points, all at the line, and six rebounds, while Groom added eight points.  Tara Flaherty was 2-2 from the field for four points, along with a pair of offensive boards.

Boston College received a pair of double-doubles from Stefanie Murphy and Carolyn Swords.  Swords finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds, and Murphy had 13 points and 12 boards.

The Stags shot 33.9 percent from the field for the game, but hit 41.9 percent of their shots in the second half.  Fairfield was 5-20 from behind the arc, but had only 16 turnovers.

Fairfield is now 10-11 all-time against current ACC members and are 5-2 against the Eagles.

The Stags will have an 11-day lay-off, for final exams, before playing their third consecutive home game, hosting Saint Francis-NY, Dec. 22 at Alumni Hall.