Women's Basketball Hosts Villanova In Home Opener On Monday Night
Nov 16, 2008
The Fairfield University women's basketball team hosts Big East Conference member Villanova University in its home opener. The Stags enter the game at 1-1 overall, while the Wildcats are 0-1 on the year.
Fairfield and Villanova are meeting for the 10th time in women's basketball this evening, with the Wildcats winning each of the first nine meetings. The series began on Dec. 29, 1996 at the Villanova PNC Bank Classic with a 66-43 Wildcat triumph. Last season was again one of the close fought games of the series, with Fairfield coming up just short, 51-45 on the road. The two teams last met with the Stags wearing their home white in the 2006-07 season, a 51-37 Wildcat victory. The meeting this season is the seventh consecutive season that the two teams have met, with the other two meetings coming with a home-and-home series in 1999-2000 and 2000-01.
Fairfield opened the year with a 69-49 win over UNC-Asheville, the second straight season that it has won its season opener. In the tournament title game however Morgan State was able to triumph, dropping the Stags 57-55.
The Stags are playing their 28th Division I home opener on Monday night, boasting a 19-8 record in those games. The Stags snapped a three-season home opening game losing streak last season, with a 58-56 win over Sacred Heart, at the Arena at Harbor Yard.
Villanova dropped its season opener 67-62 in overtime to LaSalle on Friday. The Wildcats launched 44 three-pointers in the contest, hitting 11 of them. From inside the arc the Wildcats were 9-17, and they knocked down 11-13 at the charity stripe. Maria Getty led Villanova with 15 points, while Laura Kurz put up 14. Kurz also had 11 rebounds for the Wildcats.
Baendu Lowenthal was named to the All-Tournament Team at the UNC-Asheville Tournament after averaging 13 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. She was equaled in the scoring category by Desiree Pina, who tallied a team-high 14 against Morgan State. Shireyll Moore also tallied a career-high in points on the weekend, dumping in 20 in the win over UNC-Asheville. In that game she knocked down three three-pointers, doubling her career total from the first three seasons in that one game.
Megan Caskin just missed a double-double against Morgan State, going to the nines. She had a team-high nine rebounds and a team-best nine assists. The Stags made 48 field goals in the two games down south and dished out assists on 38 of them, 79.2 percent. Eight of the nine players who have seen action in both games have at least one assist, led by Caskin's 15, which moved her to 13th all-time, with 302. As a team the Stags have an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.3, with an average of 19 assists per game.
The Arena at Harbor Yard has been good to the Stags under second year head coach Joe Frager. In his first season at the helm the Stags went 5-1 in games at the Arena, including a win over ACC member Boston College.
Fairfield plays its second home game of the week, and its final non-conference home game of the season on Saturday, hosting Sacred Heart University. The Stags will take on the Pioneers in a 1 p.m. game at the Arena at Harbor Yard. Fairfield then takes to the road for a Wednesday, Nov. 26 afternoon game at IPFW and upon returning from Thanksgiving will play at 2008 NCAA Tournament participant Cornell on Dec. 1.
If you can't make it to a game there are numerous ways to follow the Stags. All games are broadcast via radio and internet, at 88.5 FM, WVOF and www.fairfieldstags.com, by John Cummings, now in his 15th season. Home games will also be available via video webstream in conjunction with B2 Networks. Fans can also access livestats at home games on the website, while most opposing schools also offer a similar service for the Stags road games.
