Guard Janelle Brown ‘24 and forward Meghan Andersen ‘27 had 22 points apiece as the Fairfield University women’s basketball team took down Central Connecticut State University 78-52 on Sunday, Nov. 26, improving their record to 4-1.
After an uncharacteristically sluggish start for an offense ranked 28th in the country in scoring going into the contest, Fairfield found its groove in the second half, exploding for 50 points on 63 percent shooting from the field.
The defensive effort from the Stags was outstanding regardless, as the Blue Devils managed just 15 points in the first half themselves and were limited to a 29 percent shooting percentage as a team.
As has become the norm for Fairfield, nine players saw over 10 minutes of action in the game, with 11 players total getting on the floor. The depth of the roster has been key to the team’s early success, with many of the new additions, spearheaded by Andersen and fellow classmate Kaety L’Amoreaux ‘27, making an immediate impact.
Describing the team as “athletic and versatile,” Brown said in an interview prior to the season that the Stags are “looking to run teams out of the gym with the roster we got.”
That has certainly been the case thus far. The squad has yet to score under 70 points in a game this season, their longest streak of such an offensive output since 2001-02. Andersen leads the team at 17.2 points per game, followed by Brown and L’Amoreaux, both sitting at 13.2.
The win over the Blue Devils comes as the Stags approach the tail end of what has been a successful but lengthy road trip. After trouncing Lehman College at home in historic fashion to begin the season on Nov. 6, the team has been away from Mahoney Arena and will not return until a Dec. 7 matchup with St. John’s University.
If the travel has become tedious for the Stags, however, they haven’t shown it on the court. Their only loss of the road trip came in a three-point nailbiter to Power Five opponent Vanderbilt University, 73-70 on Nov. 12. Otherwise, the team’s average margin of victory has been just over 24 points per game, including a dominant 78-54 win over another Power Five opponent in Rutgers University on Nov. 20. That victory was Fairfield’s third ever over a member of the Big Ten Conference.
The terrific start has the Stags positioned as a force to be reckoned with once conference play begins on Dec. 16.
“We have great talent on this team,” Brown said. “I want us to make it all the way.”
With the way things are going, Brown’s preseason prophecy might just become a reality.
The Stags will finish their road trip against crosstown rivals Sacred Heart on Wednesday, Nov. 29, with the opening tip-off set for 7 p.m.
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