Fairfield Women’s Basketball Team opened up the season with a loss against the visiting Northeast Conference favorites Sacred Heart Pioneers 56-44. Fairfield’s defense gave the Stags a fighting chance, but struggled to pick up momentum on offense as the Pioneers held down their lead to win the first game of the season.
“I thought Sacred Heart was good, but the team that I’ve watched in preseason, practice and prepare was not on the floor today,” said head coach Joe Frager.
The game started with both teams trading shots until the Pioneers caught an early groove, extending a slim one point lead into an eight-point lead after the conclusion of one quarter of play as Fairfield trailed 18-8.
The Sacred Heart offense continued to attack Fairfield’s defense, pushing the lead up to 10 just four minutes into the second quarter. It was then that Casey Smith ‘17 took control for the rest of the half, scoring seven points in the second quarter.
Following a layup from Smith, her sixth and seventh points, the Stags cut the lead down to five, 24-19 as two minutes remained in the half. Sophomore Kendra Landy added by knocking down two shots from the charity stripe, cutting the lead down to three. Fairfield’s run was answered by four straight points by the Pioneers to give them a 30-23 edge heading into the half.
Five minutes into the start of the second half of basketball, the Pioneers increased their lead to as much as 12, but the Stags would go on a run of their own to cut the deficit. Fairfield would go on an 11-4 run to close out the quarter, allowing just one shot from the field and only two from the free throw line.
Guard Macey Hollenshead ‘18 got the scoring started as she connected on a shot from a three-point distance, knocking down her first points of the season. Freshman Sam Kramer followed up with a three pointer of her own, as she recorded her first collegiate points of her career. Additionally, Kelsey Carey ‘17 added a shot from the free throw line to finish the quarter as the Stags trailed by six heading to the fourth quarter.
Head Coach Joe Frager spoked to Senior Kelsey Carey during a stoppage of play.
Alfredo Torres/The Mirror
The Stags would go on to struggle to start the fourth quarter, missing their first five shots in the quarter. Fairfield did not record a point until five minutes into the quarter when Carey went up for a layup.
“Once we missed a lot of those easy shots, I think mentally it affected us in the fourth quarter,” said Frager. “We were out of sync in about four or five possessions.”
Fairfield’s struggle would continue while the Pioneers’ offense pushed their lead to a game high of 16 points. Sacred Heart went on to win by a final score of 56-44 for the season’s first victory.
For the Stags, both Smith and Carey finished with 11 points on the night. In her first collegiate start, Hollenshead finished the game with 10 points.
“I’m thrilled for Macey, she missed about three quarters of the year with a broken collar bone last year. I thought she gave us a solid effort today, hit a couple big shots for us,” said Frager when asked about Hollenshead’s performance. “Macey competes; she’s a competitor and when we recruited her, we knew that’s what the kid was about.”
The Stags look to bounce back when they return to the court, as they travel to take on University of Massachusetts Lowell on Nov 17.
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