Women's Basketball To Host Bridgeport In Preseason Exhibition Double-Header With Men's Teams
Nov 5, 2008
The Fairfield University women's basketball team will take the floor for the first time against another squad, in public, on Thursday evening, when it hosts the University of Bridgeport at The Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn.
This marks the third consecutive season that the two teams have met in a pre-season exhibition game, with the Stags winning each meeting. The Stags have won both of those meetings. Last season, in Joe Frager's first public game at the helm of the Stags, Fairfield earned an 80-35 victory. Sabra Wrice led the Stags with 25 points, hitting 10-15 from the floor. Baendu Lowenthal scored 13 points and Stephanie Geehan recorded 13 rebounds for the Stags. In 2007 the Stags won 65-39, in part by holding the Purple Knights to 12 first half points.
Fairfield is coming off of a 22-win season in the first year under Joe Frager. The win total was the fourth-highest in a single-season, with three prior teams getting to 25 victories. Returning to lead the charge will be four players who started numerous games last year, and a class of four seniors.
Baendu Lowenthal is the latest Stag to reach 1,000 career points as a Stag. In the regular season finale, March 1, at Loyola she scored 15 points, to become the 22nd player in program history to eclipse the Millennium mark. She enters the year ranked 22nd with 1,033 points and is eight shy of Cathy Dash for 21st and nine shy of Janelle McManus for 20th. She was named to the preseason All-MAAC First Team after earning Second Team accolades at the conclusion of each of the last two years.
The Stags open the regular season on the road, Nov. 14-15 at the UNC-Asheville Tournament. Fairfield will take on the host Bulldogs on Friday at 4:30, and will meet either Morgan State or William & Mary on Saturday afternoon. The team opens the home portion of the schedule on Monday, Nov. 17 when it hosts Villanova at the Arena at 7 p.m.
The men's teams will conclude the double-header of basketball action at 8 p.m. at the Arena. Tickets for the games are available at www.ticketmaster.com as well as at the Arena box office.
