The back-to-back MAAC women’s basketball champions have not slowed down since bringing the championship trophy home to Fairfield, Conn., in 2024. Marist women’s basketball kept Fairfield close in the opening minutes on Wednesday morning before the Stags took over for a 63-49 win in McCann Arena.
Fairfield improved to 7-0 in conference play and extended their win streak to nine in the Wednesday morning matchup, led by double-digit scoring from both of the MAAC-Conference’s leading scorers: junior guard Kaety L’Amoreaux and junior road runner Meghan Anderson
Marist held the Stags to a one-point lead in what was a low-scoring first quarter at 13-12. This season, Fairfield has averaged 22 points in the first quarter. After the slow start, the Stags began to distance themselves; they shot 5-for-12 from beyond the arc in the first half and pulled away from the Red Foxes in the second quarter, with much credit to Anderson.
Anderson, named MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, knocked in back-to-back 3-pointers to end the second quarter, pushing the score in favor of Fairfield to 28-17.
In the NCAA, Fairfield is one of the better 3-point shooting teams; they hold the nation’s top spot in 3-pointers per game and are second in 3-point shooting percentage.
Fairfield struggled on offense throughout the game, but the team’s defensive discipline caused breakups in the midcourt, allowing the team to maintain possession. Meanwhile, the Red Foxes got caught in foul trouble early as senior guards Jackie Piddock and Lexie Tarul as well as junior forward Karly Fischer all recorded two fouls early in the second quarter.
Fischer, who transferred from Fairfield this past off-season, saw limited minutes against her former team; the forward saw a season-low of 10 minutes.
Standing at 6-foot-2 and averaging four rebounds per game, Fischer’s presence has become important for the Red Foxes. However, her aggression has gotten her into foul trouble in nearly every game this season; she has committed 50 personal fouls over 16 games played.
Height is not a strong suit for the Stags, with Anderson being the team’s tallest player at 6-foot-1. Fairfield relies heavily on the team’s ability to shoot the three-ball as well as their fast pace of play in transition.
The duo of L’Amoreaux and Anderson combined for 18 of the Stags’ 28 points in the first half. Their production came as no surprise as they lead both the Fairfield offense as well as the MAAC in points per game while L’Amoreaux also leads the conference in assists.
Turnovers continued to hurt the Red Foxes as the game progressed. Fairfield’s quick transition style on both ends of the court continuously forced Marist into mistakes and contributed to the Stags putting down 16 points off turnovers in comparison to Marist’s 10.
Despite the loss, Marist held Fairfield to its smallest margin of victory this season in MAAC play.
Off the bench, sophomore guard Kasey Bretones helped lead the Red Foxes on the stat sheet with her first 3-pointer as a Red Fox and first double-digit game with 10 points. Freshman forward Justine Henry also continued to be a standout for the Red Foxes with 11 points and eight rebounds.
Although they managed to shut down L’Amoreaux in the first half, Marist struggled to keep both L’Amoreaux and Anderson in check as both stars finished with double-digit performances. Anderson ended the game with a double-double with 14 points, 13 rebounds and two assists, while L’Amoreaux led the scoring with 19 points and five rebounds.
Marist will travel to face the MAAC’s other undefeated team, Quinnipiac, on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Edited by Max Rosen
Graphic by Jaylen Rizzo
Photo by Celia Green
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