No. 25 Fairfield rallies to beat Niagara in MAAC title game

No. 25 Fairfield scored the first nine points of overtime en route to a 70-62 victory over Niagara to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament championship game in Atlantic City, N.J.

The victory gives the top-seeded Stags (31-1) the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. Fairfield has won 29 consecutive games, the second-longest streak behind top-ranked South Carolina (32-0).

Janelle Brown scored 15 points for the Stags before fouling out in regulation. Kaety L'Amoreaux added 12 points, Emina Selimovic recorded 11 points and 11 rebounds and Izabela Nicoletti-Leite also had 11 points for Fairfield, which will be making its sixth NCAA Tournament appearance.

Amelia Strong had 14 points and nine rebounds for second-seeded Niagara (20-13). The Purple Eagles led by seven points after three quarters before Fairfield rallied to force the extra session.

The MAAC title game appearance was the first since 1997 for Niagara.