The women’s basketball team returned to the court Tuesday after winning their first game of the season on Sunday, but suffered a tough loss to Yale, 75-67, at Harbor Yard. The Stags fell behind early in the first half, down by seven only three minutes into the game. However, they quickly rebounded and kept the score close at the half, down by only two, 36-34. This back-and-forth struggle continued into the second half as well. Fairfield was within one point, 50-49, with 12:37 left to play. From that point on, Yale was able to break loose, going on a 9-2 run leaving the score at 59-51 with nine minutes left. The Stags, however, kept fighting. Two foul shots by freshman forward Stephanie Geehan narrowed Yale’s lead to four with seven minutes to play. Yet, Fairfield was unable to take back the lead. The Bulldogs kept the game out of reach, with the Stags only coming as close as four points for the rest of the game. With 0:25 left, and Yale leading by four, it appeared that the Stags may be able to pull off the comeback, but the Bulldogs made four more foul shots to increase their lead to the final margin of eight. The loss dropped Fairfield to 1-3 on the season, while Yale improved to 1-3 with their first win. The Stag’s were paced in scoring by preseason first team All-MAAC selection, guard Sabra Wrice ’08, who finally broke out of her shooting slump, scoring a team-high 19 on 7-19 shooting. She was also 2 of 5 from downtown and perfect from the charity stripe, making all three attempts. Sophomore forward Baendu Lowenthal is proving that sophomore slumps don’t apply to her. She had another solid game, scoring 15 points and coming up with two steals and two blocks as well. Overall, the Stag’s defense has been solid throughout the year in limiting opposing teams to less than their average offensive output. And while Fairfield was able to force 23 turnovers, they allowed Yale to shoot 42.6 percent from the floor. Head Coach Diane Nolan recognized the problem in their game. “We didn’t do a couple of critical things. Keep pressure on the outside passer, back side help, and close out on baseline drives. We reached, instead of sliding.” On the bright side, the team’s offensive has finally hit its stride, averaging 71 points in its past two games, as opposed to the 42.5 in its first two. Nolan felt that the players were becoming more comfortable with each other, allowing them to recognize their roles and play together more effectively. “We are getting more in sync with each other. Knowing roles and looking for each other better,” she said. Coming together as a team has been an important part of the make-up of this year’s group of players. From their passionate defense, to their pre-game warm-ups, it’s clear that they enjoy each other and the game of basketball. “Our motto is passion,” Nolan said. The player’s passion should help them rebound from tough losses and return to play their next opponent just as hard. “It’s a long season, and we keep focus on the next game. Learn from the Yale experience, but move on,” said Nolan. The players will have to move on Saturday when they play Harvard (0-2) at Harbor Yard.
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