AUSTIN, Texas – The Fairfield University Women's Basketball team will begin their March Madness stay when they take on second-seeded Texas on Friday night at 8:00pm EST with all the action live on ESPN2. The Stags will be making their fifth appearance in the Big Dance and their first since 2001.
The Stags punched their ticket by winning the MAAC Championship for the first time in two decades. Fairfield outlasted Manhattan 73-68 in the Championship Game behind a team-high 24 points by
Lou Lopez-Senechal, who was named the tournament's MVP.
With her 24 points, Lopez-Senechal brought her season total to 587, the third most in Fairfield single season history.
Rachel Hakes and
Sydney Lowery were also named to the MAAC All-Tournament Team. Hakes averaged 9.3 assists in the tournament including double-digit assists games in the Semifinals and the Title game. Lowery went a perfect 4-for-4 from long-range in the Finals as she finished with 18 points in the victory.
With her 11 assists in the Championship Game, Hakes brought her career total to 413, the most by a Stag in 12 years and the ninth most in program history.
Fairfield dominated conference play with a 19-1 league mark and winning 15-straight contests. Fairfield has not lost a game since Jan. 22 against Siena, a span of 54 days. The 15-straight wins set the program's Division I record for consecutive victories. The 1973-74 team won all 16 of their games in their first Division II season.
The Stags also have tied the school single season record with 25 wins. Fairfield also reached the 25-win mark in 1990-91, 1999-2000, and 2000-01.
This will mark Fairfield's fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament and their first since receiving an At-Large selection in 2001. The Stags also received their highest seed in their year, as a No. 12 seed against No. 5 Utah. Fairfield was also a No. 15 seed in their appearance in 1998, falling to second-seeded UConn.
Texas enters the NCAA Championships as the No. 2 seed in the Spokane Region after winning the Big 12 Championship. Freshman Rori Harmon was recently named an All-American Honorable Mention by the Associated Press. The guard averages 11.5 points and nearly 5.0 assists per game.
The winner of the game will advance to the NCAA Championship Round of 32 and face the winner of No. 7 Utah and No. 10 Arkansas.
