After back-to-back Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) titles, Fairfield University’s Women’s Basketball team fell short in the first round of the NCAA tournament once again.
With a 28-5 overall record and a 22-1 conference record, the Stags were able to take the MAAC by storm once more and secure a bid to the dance.
They were granted a 12 seed, which matched them up against fifth-seeded Kansas State, who eliminated the Stags from the tournament by a score of 85-41.
The Stags were projected to be the number one seed in the MAAC coming into the season, with star guard Janelle Brown leading the way. However, things took a turn when she was injured in the eighth game of the season against Villanova.
A key returner to the squad was sophomore Kaety L’Amoreaux, who received MAAC All-Rookie honors during her first-year season. This year, she was awarded Second-Team All-MAAC honors, averaging 12.4 points, 4.3 assists, and a team-leading 4.7 rebounds.
Another sophomore standout was Meghan Andersen, who was the MAAC Rookie of the Year in the 2023-2024 season. She made the All-MAAC First Team this season, averaging a team-high 14.8 points and 4.1 rebounds.
The Stags came out strong to start the season, traveling to Fayetteville, Ark. to secure their first-ever win against an SEC (Southeastern Conference) team by beating Arkansas 81-67.
In their next game, they lost to Richmond 62-39. This was the Stags’ first regular-season loss since falling to Vanderbilt 73-70 last season.
The Stags did lose back-to-back games after falling to Oklahoma State, starting the season 1-2.
Fairfield Women’s Basketball found their rhythm and, in their next 29 games, went an impressive 27-2, winning the MAAC Conference Tournament.
The Stags narrowly defeated Manhattan, 58-51 in the first round of the conference tournament. Sophomore guard Jillian Huerter came off the bench with a spark, scoring a game-high 14 points, going 5-7 from the field and 2-3 from three-point range.
In the semifinals of the MAAC Tournament, Fairfield barely got past Mount St. Mary’s, emerging victorious with a 49-48 win. Graduate student Raiana Brown came off the bench to contribute a Stag-high 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds, three of which were offensive.
The finals pitted the Stags against the orchestrator of their only conference loss this season, the Quinnipiac Bobcats. The Stags dominated this matchup, winning 76-53. Andersen scored a game-high 27 points while also grabbing 5 rebounds, shooting 10-15 from the field and 6-9 from three-point range. However, the standout performance came from junior transfer Sydni Scott, who came off the bench to score 18 points while shooting 100 percent from beyond the arc.
The Stags were honored with three all-conference nominees: Andersen was named to the All-MAAC First Team, L’Amoreaux to the Second Team, and Emina Selimovic to the Third Team. Additionally, Cyanne Coe was named to the All-Rookie Team for the MAAC.
Brown earned the title of Sixth Player of the Year in the MAAC, averaging 7.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, and shooting 58 percent from the field.
After three full seasons under Coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis, she holds a record of 74-22 in 96 games. She was named a finalist for the Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year.
Her track record with the Stags suggests that there is much more to come from this team.
The Stags will bounce back with key returners who will look to help them make another leap and contend for their first NCAA Tournament win.
After another amazing season and their second consecutive MAAC regular-season and conference tournament title, the Stags fell short of an NCAA Title but will surely be back for more.