Upon entering Walsh Athletic Center on a typical afternoon, it doesn’t take long to hear the cacophony of noise. The squeaking of sneakers. The dribbling of basketballs. And most prominently, the constant shouts of instruction and encouragement.
For just over three hours each day, Fairfield women’s basketball grinds through physical, fast-paced practices, emblematic of the depth and style of play that have helped them dominate the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference for nearly two years.
“Every single player, all the way down the bench, is constantly working on their game and bringing their best effort in practice,” said senior road runner Emina Selimovic. “That creates trust.”
That trust will be tested this week as the Stags try to finish off a second-straight undefeated run through conference play. Counting their three wins en route to a MAAC Tournament title in Atlantic City last March, the team has now won 41 consecutive conference games, the latest being a 69-58 win over Sacred Heart in front of a raucous crowd last Saturday. The victory assured the Stags at least a share of the MAAC regular season title.
Led by sophomore road runner Meghan Andersen’s 17 points, 10 rebounds, and career-high seven blocks, the Stags overcame an early 12-point deficit to complete the season sweep of their crosstown rival.
Andersen’s defensive performance spearheaded a team effort that limited the Pioneers to 20 second half points after surrendering 114 across the first three frames of play between the teams this year.
“We’ve actually done a lot of work before practice with Coach E, she’ll grab a bunch of us and we’ll do a bunch of defensive drills just to keep us in our stance and stay disciplined,” Andersen said. “I think I’ve had improvements but I also really think that’s helped our team have overall improvements too.”
Now, the Stags turn their attention to the number two and three ranked teams in the MAAC, Quinnipiac and Siena. Beginning with the Saints this Thursday night, the team finds itself in the unique position of preparing for an opponent they’ll be seeing for the first time this year even though the calendar has already flipped to March.
“We know we’re gonna see a ton of ball screens against Siena,” said head coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis, “and we’re gonna have to kind of get back to doing what we do as far as aggressive ball screen switches… we have to be disruptive.”
The Siena matchup will carry some extra weight for the Stags, who will celebrate Senior Night in their final home game of the year. A win would also clinch the regular season conference title outright.
“I think we just gotta come out strong, and obviously it’s gonna be emotional with Senior Night,” Selimovic said, “but just continuing to stay locked in for the game… they’re a solid team, they’re third in the MAAC, and we gotta get that win to hopefully be able to cut the nets down at our home court.”
Then on Saturday afternoon, the Stags will hit the road for the regular season finale against the Bobcats, setting the stage for a rematch of the highly competitive 72-63 Fairfield win back on Jan. 30.
And while a win on Thursday to wrap up the conference would significantly lessen the stakes of Saturday’s game, the Stags have built their identity (and their 41-game win streak) on their ability to stay focused on the present and take things one step at a time.
“We always say, ‘who’s next?’, that’s our quote after every game is ‘who’s next?’,” Selimovic said. “We’re focusing on the next team we’re gonna play and nothing else, and no other distractions.”
The distraction of national attention has started to grow once again as the Stags have put together another year of dominant play. The team earned a second vote in this week’s AP poll, and Thursday night’s game against Siena will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU.
But after so much success, such attention is just another thing for the Stags to take in their stride as they anticipate the challenge of the home stretch and next week’s conference tournament in Atlantic City.
“We have a lot of good matchups coming up,” Andersen said. “I’m excited for this week with Siena and Quinnipiac, they’re two very tough teams… Senior Night is gonna be emotional, and I know that the season’s coming to an end, but I’m excited.”
Until then, the symphony of shouts and sneakers will continue to echo through the halls of Walsh Athletic Center.
