LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Fairfield University Women's Basketball team led No. 8/11 North Carolina by eight after the first quarter but could not keep that advantage as they fell to the Tar Heels 82-68 in their final game in the WBCA Challenge. The setback is Fairfield's first loss of the season after winning three-straight to start their campaign.
"I'm proud of our fight back at moments where we could have cashed it in," Head Coach
Carly Thibault-DuDonis said. "We got to take care of the ball better against a team like that. We know that they're really disruptive defensively and they got to be one and done on the offensive boards. There's a lot to learn from but we know that we belong in a game like that and we're going to win a game like that."
Fairfield built a 19-11 lead after the first 10 minutes highlighted by
Milou van Vliet's first career triple with eight seconds left in the frame. Fairfield shot 43 percent in the opening quarter with
Sydni Scott connecting on both of her 3-point attempts. Her second long-range shot was part of an 11-0 Fairfield run that gave the Stags their biggest lead of the game at 16-7.
North Carolina would respond with a 26-6 second quarter, taking the lead for good with a pair of Nyla Harris free throws at the 6:04 mark.
The Stags found their footing offensively in the third by making their first six shots to get within four at 44-40 after a
Lauren Beach traditional 3-point play.
Meghan Andersen and
Janelle Brown led the team with five points during that scoring spurt with both student-athletes swishing through a 3-pointer.
Kaety L'Amoreaux cut the deficit to a single possession by hitting a three that put the score at 46-43 at the 4:35 mark.
The Tar Heels would answer back with a 3-pointer of their own 20 seconds later which started a 13-0 run.
Fairfield ended the game on a 14-3 run which included back-to-back threes from L'Amoreaux and eventually put the final score at 82-68.
The trio of Andersen, L'Amoreaux and Brown combined for 46 of the team's points with Brown pacing the squad with 16. In her first start of the season, Brown had a perfect shooting night, going 5-for-5 from the floor, 1-for-1 from 3-point range, and 5-for-5 from the free throw line.
L'Amoreaux put her game total to 15 and led the team in assists for the second-straight game with eight helpers. She also tied van Vliet for the team lead on the boards with six rebounds.
Fairfield will have more than a week off before their next contest at home when they welcome a sellout crowd of local area schoolkids to Leo D. Mahoney Arena as the team faces off against New Haven on Tuesday, Nov., 25 at 11am.
