Breen’s 27 catapults Trojans

WEST BURLINGTON — It felt like Fairfield’s Delaney Breen couldn’t miss the bottom of the net on Monday night in West Burlington. Breen has been an integral piece of the Trojans success with season and against the Falcons it was no different.

Breen sank six shots from beyond the arch on her way to a 27 point outing, helping the Trojans down the Falcons 59-51 in a non-conference bout.

“It’s not always just me that shooting threes,” Breen said. “Sometime Danielle has a good night shooting threes or Anna or Ashlyn. We always encourage each other so much. We understand that we’re a quick team and to get most of our points we gotta get in the lane and get easy layups and then we can kick out.”

It wasn’t an easy road for Fairfield on Monday evening. West Burlington came out dominating inside.

The Trojans got on the board with the first two points of the game, but then it was the Falcons ballgame.

West Burlington followed with a 10-2 run to make it a 10-4 ballgame midway through the first, then Fairfield found its stroke from deep.

Fairfield sank three deep balls with two coming from Delaney Breen and one from Danielle Breen. A layup from Mallory Lyon made it a one score game, 16-15, but West Burlington answered with a late three to extend its lead 19-15 after the first.

For the Trojans, the second quarter was a difference maker.

The Falcons scored the first basket of the quarter, but then a eight point spurt, with two from three, by Delaney Breen gave the Trojans their first lead since the opening bucket, 23-21. Fairfield would never trail again.

“We been in that situation before,” Breen said of being down early. “The way we have gotten out of it in the past is to just work together as a team and get it to the open girl. Tonight it was me. I was feeling good and knocking down my shots.”

Fairfield outscored West Burlington 13-5 in the second quarter, giving them a 28-24 lead heading into the locker room at half.

“After we got out of man-to-man in the first quarter I thought our press would work better, but they did a great job of attacking and we didn’t get back,” Fairfield head coach Pat Pacha said. “In the second quarter we went to two zone, and we held them to five in the quarter. I felt that was a key turning point.”

West Burlington didn’t roll over, though, and continued to battle the Trojans.

The Falcons tied the game up at 28-28 to begin the third, but the Trojans had another run in them. Fairfield used a 16-3 run — nine of which came from Breen — to make it a 44-31 ballgame at the tail end of the quarter. Then West Burlington compiled a run of its own, ending the quarter on an 8-0 run and cutting the lead to 44-39.

In the fourth, Fairfield was able to ride it out. West Burlington came within three points, 52-49, with a three from Abbey Bence. It wasn't enough. Fairfield ended the game with a 7-2 run to ensure victory.

Along with Breen’s 27, Danielle Breen finished with 11. Kelsey Pacha added eight. Mallory Lyon had six. Anna Dunlap had four. Ashlyn Lisk chipped in three.