The scene at the Times Union Center in Albany was a familiar one. For the second straight year, the No. 3-seeded women’s basketball team beat No. 6 Siena in the MAAC tournament quarterfinals. Unfortunately, the Stags also lost to the No. 2 seed in the semifinals for the second year in a row.
Last year, it was seniors Sabra Wrice, Meka Werts and Steph Cziria who left the court for the last time as Stags. This year, seniors Megan Caskin, Lauren Groom, Baendu Lowenthal and Shireyll Moore, a huge core of the team, ended their careers in red. During a media timeout in the second half of the final game, head coach Joe Frager talked to his players about their final season.
‘We talked about legacy and our kids playing hard all the way to the end,’ Frager said. ‘I’m so proud of the effort they gave today. Our seniors battled all the way to the end. They didn’t quit, they came to play this weekend.’
The women’s basketball team endured a rollercoaster season this year. The Stags had a rocky start and sat at 8-8 midway through the season. Then, the team caught fire and won eight-consecutive games, including wins over then-No.20 Marist and’ also Canisius, the top two seeds in the tournament. But Fairfield ended the way it started, going 1-4 in its last five games before traveling up to Albany.
But a 61-55 overtime win against the Saints restored hope that the Stags could make another run.
‘Sometimes you just need to break through and get a win,’ said Frager. ‘But at the end of the year, records don’t mean anything. Teams are desperate for seeding and when you get to the post-season when it’s one-and-done, you’re going to get everyone’s best performance.’
The Stags came out strong and pulled away for most of the first half. With 5:15 remaining in the first half a Lauren Groom ’09 three-pointer gave Fairfield a 16 points lead.
That lead would diminish by halftime after Siena’s Serena Moore scored six points in the final two and a half minutes to cut the margin to five.
In the second half, the Stags struggled offensively as the Saints played predominately in a 2-3 zone. After shooting 48.3 percent from the field in the first half, Fairfield shot 30.8 percent in the second.
Siena battled back into the game and ultimately took the lead on a layup by Moore with 11 seconds left. Senior Megan Caskin brought the ball up past halfcourt and Frager called a timeout.
Groom inbounded to Caskin who passed to senior Baendu Lowenthal in the post. She went up, and with three seconds left scored the basket to send the game into overtime.
‘Yeah, I’m a real genius giving it to her,’ Frager said with a smile after the game. ‘We definitely wanted to go inside and if she didn’t make the basket, try to draw a foul in that situation. We executed it in practice and then we continued today. Coaches love that.’
In overtime, Fairfield held the Saints scoreless and ultimately overcame missed free throws down the stretch to hold on for the win.
The next game the Stags faced Canisius, one of the top three-point shooting teams in the country.
The teams battled back and forth for most of the game. Fairfield went on a run in the first half to take a four-point lead, but Canisius answered right back and went into the half up by two points, 28-26.
After Caskin tied to score at 28 to start the second half, Canisius went on a 10-0 run to take the lead for good. Lowenthal knocked down two free throws and followed with a layup a few seconds later to cut the lead to one with eight minutes remaining, but that was the closest the Stags would get.
‘They’re a very, very difficult team to defend,’ said Frager. ‘Their guard play is very good. They keep constant pressure on you defensively. I thought for the most part, we defended well today. There were a few flurries there were we gave them second opportunities that hurt us.’
Junior Stephanie Geehan had seven blocks in the first game and five against Canisius, giving her the MAAC single-season record with 96.
Lowenthal finished her career with 1,527 points, 10th all-time, and 807 rebounds, fifth all-time. She is one of just four players in program history to eclipse 1,500 points and 800 rebounds. Caskin finished with 429 assists, seventh all-time.
Groom and Moore gave the Stags a second scoring option behind Lowenthal this season. Groom was one of the top-threats from behind the arc for the Stags and her .368 three-point shooting percentage ranks second in program history. Moore emerged this season as the Stags’ first option off the bench and gave the team the ability to create favorable matchups defensively, as well as averaging 7.6 points per game.
‘It’s hard to put it into perspective and to do justice to this right now after a loss,’ said Frager. ‘But you think about the number of games that these four women have played for the University. And not only the positive things they’ve done for the University on the court, but also off the court.
‘You look at it academically, and they’ve all excelled in the classroom. They’re role models. They’ve done tons of community service and they’ve really represented this University extremely well,’ Frager added.
‘[Former head] Coach [Dianne] Nolan really knew what she was doing when she recruited these four ladies,’ he added. ‘I was fortunate to have the opportunity to coach them for two years. I’m proud of all of them and I’m very proud of the lady sitting next to me [Lowenthal].
She’s a warrior and she gives you everything. She poured her heart out on the floor today and if she so chooses, I think she’s got a lot of basketball left in her.’
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