The women’s basketball team’s season ended with a heartbreaking 62-55 loss to Canisius in the MAAC Tournament semifinals.
The loss gave Fairfield a final record of 18-13 while Canisius improved to 24-7.
This marks the second straight year that the Stags have lost in the semifinals of the tournament as the No. 3 seed. Canisius was seeded second.
The two teams split the regular season series in close wins and the semifinal game was no different.
The teams battled back and forth for most of the game. Fairfield went on a run in the first half to take a four-point lead, but Canisius answered right back and went into the half up by two points, 28-26.
After senior Megan Caskin tied to score at 28 to start the second half, Canisius went on a 10-0 run to take the lead for good. Senior Baendu Lowenthal knocked down two free throws and followed with a layup a few seconds later to cut the lead to one with eight minutes remaining, but that was the closest the Stags would get. Fairfield came close, but could never get over the hump, drawing to within four points on three separate occasions.
‘They’re a very, very difficult team to defend,’ said head coach Joe Frager. ‘Their guard play is very good. They keep constant pressure on you defensively. The way the spread the floor, the way they screen. I thought for the most part, we defended well today. There were a few flurries there were we gave them second opportunities that hurt us. We had one or two defensive breakdowns there in the second half.’
Canisius’s Brittane Russell also caused problems for the Stags coming up with three steals in the first half. Frager switched up his lineup and brought in senior Shireyll Moore for Cakin. Freshman Desiree Pina played the point for most of the second half. Pina was the only other Stag besides Lowenthal in double-figures for points with 11.
‘I thought at that point it was better for the flow of our offense from a quickness standpoint,’ said Frager. ‘Brittane Russell can be very tough to contend with when she is up on your point guard. It also allowed us to get Shireyll Moore into the fold with a little bit more height and length defensively. But I thought Megan came on and did some good things for us in the second half.’
Lowenthal had a game-high 20 points and junior Stephanie Geehan had a game-high 13 rebounds and five blocks. Geehan finished the season with a single-season school and MAAC record for blocked shots with 96.
With the loss, it is possible that the careers of Caskin, Lowenthal, Moore along with fellow senior Lauren Groom have come to a close. All four have been key contributors throughout their careers and were integral keys to the Stags’ successes during their tenure. During a media timeout in the second half, Frager talked to his players about their final season.
‘We talked about legacy and our kids playing hard all the way to the end,’ said Frager. ‘I’m so proud of the effort they gave today. Our seniors battled all the way to the end. They didn’t quit, they came to play this weekend. I’m very proud of our kids and all our seniors.’
If Canisus beats Marist in the championship game on Sunday, and Marist earns an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, Fairfield would earn an automatic WNIT bid.
If that does not happen, Fairfield’s season is over. The Stags were picked to finish second in the MAAC in preseason, but they struggled early. Groom was injured with a broken finger and the team had to replace leading-scorer Sabra Wrice from last year’s team. But the Stags rebounded and were batting for a top-seed in the MAAC until a late-season slide landed them in third behind Marist and Canisius. They beat No. 6 Siena in the quarterfinals to advance to the game against Canisius.
Lowenthal finished her career with 1,527 points, 10th all-time, and 807 rebounds, fifth all-time. She is one of just four players in program history to eclipse 1,500 points and 800 rebounds. Caskin finished with 429 assists, seventh all-time. Groom and Moore also started throughout their careers and gave the Stags a second scoring option behind Lowenthal this season.
‘It’s hard to put it into perspective and to do justice to this right now after a loss,’ said Frager. ‘But you think about the number of games that these four women have played for the University. And not only the positive things they’ve done for the University on the court, but also off the court. You look at academically, they’ve all excelled in the classroom. They’re role models. They’ve done tons of community service and they’ve really represented this University extremely well.
Coach Nolan really knew what she was doing when she recruited these four ladies,’ he added. ‘I was fortunate to have the opportunity to coach them for two years. I’m proud of all of them and I’m very proud of the lady sitting next to me [Lowenthal]. She’s a warrior and she gives you everything. She poured her heart out on the floor today and if she so chooses, I think she’s got a lot of basketball left in her.’
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