FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Lou Lopez-Senechal started her season by pouring in 21 points and Katie Armstrong added her second career double-double, highlighted by a personal best 17 rebounds, but it was not enough as the Fairfield University Women's Basketball team fell 71-50 to the UMass Minutewomen in their 2020-21 season opener.
 
"It was good to finally play," Head Coach Joe Frager said. "We did some things good tonight. Early on, we executed really well. UMass is a good team, they have talent and are very physical. We missed a lot of easy shots tonight, a lot of layups and some wide open threes. We have some work to do, but it was good to actually play."
 
The Stags (0-1) were playing in their first game since March after their previous season opening contest against Sacred Heart was postponed and then eventually canceled.
 
The MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, Lou Lopez-Senechal, was the team's focal points on offense with 21 points, her eighth career 20+ point contest. The junior was hot from behind the arc, going 5-for-7 from long range.
 
Her first 3-pointer of the game came on the very next possession after Armstrong swished in a 3-pointer of her own to give the Stags a 10-4 lead with 4:45 left in the first quarter. Lopez-Senechal would follow with a 2-point bucket and gave the home side their largest lead of the game at 12-4. UMass, however, would respond with a 9-0 run spanning into the second quarter.
 
The Stags got the lead back twice in the first five minutes of the second quarter, both coming from 3-pointers by Lopez-Senechal. UMass would grab the lead back and hold a six point lead into halftime after a buzzer beating 3-pointer by Sydney Taylor bounced off the back of the rim and then fell through the net.
 
UMass opened a 14 point lead in the third quarter, a lead the Stags were able to cut in half after a pair of free throws by Callie Cavanaugh.
 
Fairfield shot just 27 percent in their season opener, with Lopez-Senechal leading the way hitting eight of her 17 shots. Armstrong was the leader on the boards, grabbing a career-high 17 rebounds in tallying her second career double-double.
 
Rachel Hakes was the distributor of the offense, collecting a career-high nine assists while also leading the team with three steals.
 
The Stags will hit the road for their first road trip of the season at Hofstra on Sunday at 2pm.