As the season winds down, the Fairfield women’s basketball team is trying to fight their way through a four-game losing streak.
The Stags went 0-2 this weekend, losing on the road to Manhattan College, 58-52, Feb. 9 and at home to Canisius College, 76-62, Feb.11. The Stags dropped to 6-8 in the conference with only four games left in the season before the MAAC tournament.
The Stags, entering their game Thursday night, were one spot ahead of the seventh place Jaspers in the conference standings, but following their losses this weekend the two teams are in a three-way tie with Saint Peter’s for sixth place.
“For us to do damage in the MAAC tournament we will have to be in Albany for a couple of days,” said Head Coach Dianne Nolan. “So we want all of our players to be ready and that is our main focus right now.”
The Stags got off to slow starts in both games, shooting less than 40 percent from the field. The team only shot above 50 percent all weekend during the second half against Manhattan. Despite out-rebounding their opponents by four in both games, they also committed 48 total turnovers. Manhattan went to the line twice as many times as the Stags, while Canisius converted on 11 more field goals from the field.
“We have opportunities during the game, but we let them slip away,” said Nolan. “Our ability to hit critical shots in the game and put the momentum in our corner has been a struggle for us throughout the season.
The Stags were trailing by four, 20-16, at the 10:27 mark of the first half and did not score again until 5:57, when they were trailing by ten, 26-16. The Stags were down to Canisius at the half 41-29, before falling behind by as many as 21 at the 9:27 mark in the second half.
Three-time Rookie of the Week honoree, Baendu Lowenthal ’09 has continued to be steady, scoring 28 points and grabbing nine rebounds over the last two games. Captain Cara Murphy ’06, recovering from the stomach flu, scored 30 points during the weekend games, while the team’s leading scorer, Sabra Wrice ’08 scored 19 points.
“I think we always have an opportunity to win the game,” said Lowenthal. “The teams we play are good, but with us it is more mental. We have to settle down, find our game and play it.”
The Stags have four games remaining against three of the top five teams in the conference. Fairfield’s next game is against fifth-place Siena College, Friday Feb. 17 at the Arena at Harbor Yard.
The Stags have to win at least three out of their last four games to secure the sixth seed in the tournament and could place as high as fifth. The team already owns the season sweep over Saint Peter’s, forcing the Stags to beat Manhattan and Siena to split the tie-breaker and put them in better position for fifth place.
Nolan honored with ceremony
Between the men’s and women’s doubleheader Saturday afternoon, Nolan was honored as the 28th coach in Division I basketball history to record 500 career wins. On Jan. 29, Nolan made history with a win over Rider University, 68-53, near her hometown of Gloucester, N.J. Nolan is a member of the Connecticut Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and the Fairfield University Athletic Hall of Fame.
“I did not think when I came here 27 years ago that I would be where I am right now,” Nolan said during the ceremony.
Nolan was presented with a plaque commemorating the historic win by University President Father Jeffrey von Arx, s.s., and Director of Athletics Gene Doris.
Team captains Clare Faurote ’06, Murphy and Ivana Podrug ’06 presented their coach with an autographed copy of the sports page from the Feb. 2 Mirror, commemorating the milestone.
Associate Head Coach John Paladino and Assistant Coaches Paige Sauer, Maureen Magarity and Sarah Huntington presented Nolan with a game ball to be displayed at Walsh Athletic Center.
“This means an awful lot because I dedicated my entire working life to this,” said Nolan. “I think of Fairfield as a family. It is a special place and it has given me the opportunity to associate with a lot of people.”
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