VILLANOVA, Pa. – Fairfield University Women's Basketball Road Runner
Meghan Andersen poured in a career-high 35 points including the 1,000th of her historic career as the Stags took down Big East Villanova 75-63 in the season opener. Andersen becomes the 35th Stag to reach the milestone and tied the program's all-time leading scorer Gail Strumpf Cheney as the second-fastest to join the club at 67 career games.
"I loved our collective toughness particularly in the fourth quarter," Head Coach
Carly Thibault-DuDonis said. "Meg obviously led the charge on the offensive end but we had so many different people step in different ways. I think this was a great step forward for us by showing that kind of adversity to respond after not a great third quarter and finish it with a really strong fourth."
Fairfield outscored the Wildcats 24-12 in that final period, a frame that was dominated by Andersen who drilled 15 out of her 35 points. She scored the team's first nine points and 15 of their first 18 which included two big 3's to put the team up seven.
Fairfield, who led for the first 24 minutes of the game, had to mount a comeback after Villanova grabbed a four-point advantage in the third quarter. The Stags regained the lead with a 6-0 spurt on a pair of buckets from
Cyanne Coe and one from Andersen.
Kaety L'Amoreaux would drill a big 3-pointer and close out the frame with a traditional 3-point play to tie the game going into the fourth.
The Stags led for the entire first half after Andersen opened up the scoring in the first minute on a free throw. Fairfield extended that lead to double-digits, grabbing a 13-1 advantage.
Three Stags scored in double figures led by Andersen's career-high 35 points on 12-for-19 shooting. L'Amoreaux added 17 combined with five rebounds and four assists.
Jillian Huerter added 13 with three trifectas. Coe led the rebounding charge with nine boards followed by seven from Andersen.
Fairfield will now return to Leo D. Mahoney Arena for the season's home opener against the reigning Patriot League Champions Lehigh on Saturday night at 7pm.
