The women’s basketball team showed some early promise in their opening game against the Richmond Spiders, but despite their best efforts, fell short, losing 59-48.
The Stags took fought their way to an early 14-9 lead with 9:27 left in the first half. But the rest of the way until half time was a struggle. Richmond went on a 22-6 run to close out the half in route to a 31-20 halftime lead.
This put Fairfield in a hole from which they could not recover. During the second half the Stags were able to match the Spiders with 28 points apiece, but it was not enough to recover from the early deficit.
The deficit was dug largely due to poor shooting and rebounding. Richmond seemed to control their offensive boards in the first half, giving them ample opportunities to score. Also, Cara Murphy and Sabra Wrice struggled to score the entire game; both notching only two points each on a combined 2 of 18 from the floor.
Head Coach Diane Nolan noted that once the players are all on the same page and are able to drive and kick the ball out, their shooting percentage should rise.
However, their struggles were not limited to shooting. In the first half, the Spiders were in the bonus with 3:24 left. Fairfield did not attempt a single foul shot, while Richmond shot 13, making nine. A nine-point swing in a close game provided a huge advantage to Richmond.
The Spiders also benefited from the play of red-shirt junior Christian Campion, who scored a team-high 16, while pulling down seven rebounds.
Meka Werts was the Stag’s leading scorer with 23 of the team’s 48 points on 8 of 15 shooting. Coming off the bench, she logged 30 minutes and also added four steals, providing a defensive spark as well.
Werts acknowledged, “I try to get my offense from my defense and just work hard.” She also appreciated her help from teammates and promised that next time they would be better at making their shots.
Nolan said, “We knew going in that our bench was one of our strengths.” The Stag’s bench actually outscored the starters, 38-11.
Another key player was a new one. Freshman Stephanie Geehan, an additional player who played significant minutes off the bench, recorded a double-double in her first career game. She pulled down 11 rebounds while adding 10 points on 5 of 10 shooting.
Geehan was reluctant to sing her own praises, instead focusing on the support she has received from her veteran teammates.
This game also marked the first time the Stags have played in Alumni Hall since February 2001. Attendance was listed at 1,388 with what looked to be around a hundred or so students in the Red Sea. The women’s team has never finished with a losing record in a season at Alumni, evidence of the strong student support for the team.
Despite many students leaving early, Nolan was pleased with the student section at the game; she felt the students were vocal and their presence was felt. “We are excited about coming back,” she remarked.
If the Stags can put together a complete game and play up to their potential, the students will have every reason to return as well.
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