Only four games remain between Fairfield women’s basketball and back-to-back undefeated regular seasons in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
But those four games will be perhaps the toughest of their season so far. Beginning tomorrow night, the team will play at Mount St. Mary’s, home against Sacred Heart, home against Siena and at Quinnipiac before heading to Atlantic City for the MAAC Conference Tournament.
The Bobcats, Saints and Mountaineers sit two-three-four in the standings behind the Stags, and while the Pioneers rank just 12th, the primetime matchup on Saturday night will carry extra weight as a rivalry game.
There’s also more at stake for the Stags (22-3, 16-0) than extending their historic run over conference competition. With Quinnipiac (22-3, 14-2) sitting just two games back with four to play, clinching the number one seed for Atlantic City is still in doubt.
The Stags will continue to be the favorites for that spot regardless. The team boasts a top 10 scoring defense in the country and has held 11 of 16 conference opponents under 50 points. Offensively, their 21.3 average scoring margin and .473 shooting percentage both rank top 20. Those factors and more have helped the team receive a vote in the AP poll this week after they broke into the top 25 for the first time in program history last year.
“I am so proud of how our team has continued to chip away all season long to get better and be consistent, day after day,” head coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis told fairfieldstags.com about the accomplishment. “Fairfield University is a special place, and one that is deserving of national attention. I’m glad we have the opportunity to represent the Stags and bring the Fairfield name into the national conversation of women’s basketball.”
Beyond being some of the best teams in the conference however, the remaining opponents on the Stags’ schedule have also been the closest to defeating them throughout their historic two-season run.
With the possible exception of Niagara in last year’s MAAC Championship Game, the Mountaineers were closer than anyone the last time Fairfield made the trip down to Emmitsburg, Md.
The Stags trailed nearly wire-to-wire until a flurry of second-half three-pointers from now sophomore guard Kaety L’Amoreaux helped them come from behind and take the lead with 14 seconds remaining. After a tying response from the Mountaineers, it was senior road runner Emina Selimovic who played the hero, connecting on a layup as time expired off an inbounds pass from graduate guard Izabela Nicoletti-Leite to help the Stags escape with a win.
On the road against the Pioneers earlier this month, it took a late fourth quarter run and a 31-point outing from graduate road runner Raiana Brown for the Stags to come out with a win. Last year in the same building, it was graduate guard Janelle Brown who poured in 35 points to lead an overtime win.
A season ago against Siena, the Stags won by a combined margin of just nine points across two games, including the road trip where a scratchy run of turnovers gave the Saints multiple extra possessions down the stretch.
And last but not least, the Bobcats have been incredibly steady in conference play this season and already played a tight matchup with the Stags in Mahoney Arena in late January. With the exception of that game, a 72-63 win for Fairfield that was tied heading into the fourth quarter, the Bobcats’ lone conference loss came in overtime against… the Mountaineers.
All of that history goes to show that the Stags will have their work cut out for them as they continue the now familiar trek into “never done before” territory. A win tomorrow night would be their 40th straight in conference play.
And when you look at it like that, what’s four more?
Opening tip at the Mountaineers is set for 7 p.m. Students and fans can tune into the game on ESPN+.
