Records were snapped in Leo D. Mahoney Arena on Thursday night in Fairfield, CT, as the Stags dominated from the opening tip, controlling every play in the historic 109-48 win over Marist, proving why they were the unanimous pre-season favorites.
The names on everybody’s lips when talking about MAAC women’s basketball are the junior duo of Road Runner Meghan Andersen and guard Kaety L’Amoreaux.
In the first 20 minutes of play, Andersen nearly outscored the entire Red Fox team. After shooting just 2-for-10 from the 3-point line in Fairfield’s 60-43 win over Sacred Heart University, Andersen struggled to find her rhythm.
Five days with no games helped Andersen get her shot back, knocking down 9-for-9 from deep in the first half alone. Andersen’s ninth 3-pointer of the half marked her first new record of the night.
The record in question: a new season high for most points in one half.
Unable to catch a break, the Red Foxes seemed to be fighting against themselves, with early fouls placing both senior forward Lexie Tarul and freshman forward Justine Henry on the bench with limited minutes.
Shooting 9-for-24 in the first half, Marist needed to work for every point. With just one offensive rebound in the opening minutes of play, the Red Foxes focused on hustling back on defense rather than contesting on the boards.
Despite the Red Foxes setting up on defense, the Stags exploited the man-on-man defense in the same fashion they did when the Stags travelled to Poughkeepsie.
L’Amoreaux exploited the slow-rotating Marist defense, finding players cutting off the ball. She ended the game with 21 points, eight assists and five rebounds.
Fairfield’s roster has no forwards. Instead, the team uses the term ‘road runner,’ the title given to players who are guard/forward combos, and the Stags are made up of just that.
Each Fairfield player has the dynamic athletic playstyle of a road runner, fast and capable of shooting from anywhere on the court.
By halftime, Marist trailed 22-60, with all the energy of the game in favor of the Stags.
Andersen hit her second career milestone in the early minutes of the third quarter, tallying her sixth career game with 30 points. As just a junior, Andersen continues to rewrite records at Fairfield.
The Red Foxes moved to double-team Andersen, which proved to be ineffective as the Stags opted to move the ball to the open player.
By the start of the fourth quarter, Fairfield led by 57. Andersen herself had scored more than the entire Red Fox team, and the Stags totalled more than Marist’s 30 points in the first 10 minutes alone.
Senior guard Sydni Scott got the ball behind the 3-point line on the wing and fed the ball to Andersen, being face guarded by Henry. Andersen started to dribble with her backside, driving Henry back. Taking the ball to the middle of the paint, Andersen’s ex-teammate, junior forward Karly Fischer, joined in for the double team. Andersen picked up her dribble and, using her pivot foot, stopped through the defenders to get a shot up and off the backboard. The ball twirled around the rim before dropping for Andersen’s 40th point of the night and a new program record.
With the next whistle, Andersen headed to the bench, receiving a standing ovation from the Stag crowd and a final stat line of 40 points, eight rebounds and one assist.
All 11 healthy players stepped on the court for Fairfield, and all but one managed to get the ball in the basket.
As the final buzzer sounded, someone in the Fairfield complex started to edit the record books. Etching Andersen’s name as well as a new program single-game scoring record and a new program’s largest margin of victory against a Division I opponent.
Fairfield celebrated at center court, packing on the love for Andersen as the Red Foxes gathered their belongings and headed to the locker room for what would be a long ride back to Poughkeepsie.
Sophomore guard Kasey Bretones scored a personal high of 14 points, leading the Red Foxes, but Bretones’ efforts were simply unmatched.
The Red Foxes will play again on Saturday at home in Poughkeepsie at 2 p.m. against Saint Peter’s.
Edited by Ava Battinelli
Graphic by Cara Lacey
Photo by Marist Athletics
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Embarrassing…nothing else to say…