Some familiar faces are returning to lead the women’s basketball team once again this year. With key starters and role players returning, the team should be vastly improved over last year’s disappointing showing.
Hoping to rebound from a tough season last year (11-18 overall, 7-11 MAAC), the Stags return their top four scorers and are lead by Head Coach Diane Nolan, now in her 28th season with Fairfield.
Nolan sees the team improving multiple aspects of their play. She focused her attention on three main areas of improvement.
“We’ve improved on defense and are so much better there,” she said. “Secondly, we have more depth and are able to do more things.”
She also has seen an improvement in play down in the post.
After seeing the team play for the first time in an exhibition game against the University of Bridgeport, Nolan was optimistic. She remarked that the team played intense defense and rebounded the ball better than they have in previous years.
Senior forward/guard Candice Lindsay claims that the team will have a different feel this year despite returning so many players.
“With two new coaches, we’ve been running more and playing more motion offense,” she said. This new offensive philosophy should improve the scoring opportunities for the players.
Junior guard and co-captain Sabra Wrice, the team’s leading scorer last year, averaging 13 points per game, is also one of the league’s top defensive players.
She had 67 steals last year to lead the MAAC and this year was a preseason first team all-MAAC selection.
Fairfield has a huge advantage having one of the top players in the league with a go-to scorer and someone who can provide a stop-on defense.
Wrice down played her own personal achievements, deciding instead to focus on the team. She said she would like to continue her success and be a postseason first team player as well, but more importantly, she wants the chance to play for the MAAC championship.
Fellow co-captains and seniors Cara Murphy and Lindsay also return. Murphy is a fifth-year senior with deadly range from beyond the arc. She also has the ability to play the one or two guard, making her useful as a combo guard to give opponents different looks.
Lindsay, troubled by injuries last year, was not as productive as her previous seasons. However, when healthy she can provide big help on the defensive end and key rebounding in the frontcourt. She also has the ability to score when called upon, averaging 6.8 point per game last season.
Two more notable returning players are junior guard Meka Werts and sophomore forward Baendu Lowenthal.
Werts, a key sparkplug off the bench last year, should get increased playing time this season. She has the ability to score and racked up 34 steals last season in limited playing time.
Lowenthal, a MAAC all-rookie team selection last season, is one of the team’s top frontcourt options and shot 46.6 percent from the floor in her freshman year.
Along with these returning players, another five freshmen were added into the mix. All are taller than six feet, except for guard Jill Piacquadio at 5-foot-7 inches. The freshmen will compete for playing time on this veteran team and will add depth and a nice mix of youth to the veteran leadership.
Lindsay feels that these freshmen are ready to contribute and play right away.
“The freshmen look really good and should contribute a lot,” she said.
Nolan commented on two freshmen in particular who should see significant playing time and contribute right away, Tara Flaherty and Stephanie Geehan. Flaherty is listed as 6-foot-1 and plays forward and center.
She was impressive as a senior in high school, averaging 24 point per game, 13 rebounds per game and eight assists per game. Geehan is another forward who should see plenty of playing time. The 6-foot freshman averaged 13 points per game and 10 rebounds per game as a high school senior, while also supplying defense with an average of two steals and two blocks a game.
These two young players should provide a boost to the depth and skill of the frontcourt.
In addition to the bolstering frontcourt, the backcourt has been helped as well.
Last year the team struggled with turnovers as no player who logged significant minutes had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio. Nolan is confident that this year will be different. She is looking for Murphy, sophomore Megan Caskin, Werts and Wrice to handle the ball and play the point. Wrice and Caskin even went to a point guard college this summer to get a better handle on playing the position.
With this extra training, Nolan feels that the team has improved to the point where turnovers will be drastically reduced. In the game against Bridgeport, they had only 16 turnovers while forcing 23. If the Stags can win the turnover battle each night, it will go a long way in helping them stay competitive.
The fact that the Stags are returning so many players with experience while adding more depth with the freshman class, has led to increased expectations after last year’s losing season.
Fairfield was picked to finish fifth in the MAAC’s preseason coaches’ poll. While fifth may seem middle-of-the-road, the Stags also received one first place vote in recognition of their potential.
The first place vote was not Nolan’s vote either, so other teams in the conference have taken notice of the Stags.
Overall, this team has a good mix of veterans and young players. If the upperclassmen can lead the way to improving, the freshmen can gain some valuable experience and contribute.
Nolan sees the team as “very dangerous in the MAAC, we have a lot of people to pay back.”
With so much improvement and the added depth to the veteran presence, Coach Nolan should be able to take back the MAAC.
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