COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 11th-seeded Fairfield University Women's Basketball team will open up NCAA Tournament play when they take on sixth-seeded Notre Dame in the First Round on Saturday at 2pm on ESPN. This will be Fairfield's third-straight appearance in the Big Dance and their fourth in the last five seasons.
 
The winner of the contest will advance to play the winner of the host-school Ohio State and 14th-seeded Howard for a spot in the Sweet 16.
 
The Stags punched their ticket to the tournament by winning their third-straight MAAC Championship by winning three games in Atlantic City. Junior Jillian Huerter was named the MAAC Championship MVP after leading the Stags from behind the arc with a 58 percent shooting clip while connecting on 11 triples.
 
Fairfield secured their seventh MAAC Championship in program history and will be making their eighth all-time appearance in the Big Dance.
 
The Stags have found success all year long from behind the 3-point arc and enter the tournament as one of the top shooting teams in the country. Their 11.4 made 3s per game leads the nation while their .370 shooting clip puts them in the top-10 in Division I. In total, the Stags have made 364 long-range shots this season which is tied for the 14th most in NCAA Division I history.
 
The Stags have five student-athletes who have all shot above a .350 clip from deep while making 40 or more 3-pointers this season. Fairfield is the first school since Green Bay (2002-03) to accomplish this feat.
 
That offense has helped the Stags net 2,416 points this season, already setting the program record.
 
Fairfield will be led by three All-MAAC performers including the MAAC Player of the Year Kaety L'Amoreaux who has poured in 563 points this season which is the fourth-most in a campaign in Fairfield history. During the season, she led the conference in points, field goal percentage, and free throws while placing second in assists.
 
Junior Road Runner Meghan Andersen has also had a career year from behind the arc, swishing through 86 triples which is the second-most in Fairfield history. Andersen became just the sixth Stag all-time to earn three All-MAAC First Team honors. In her three seasons, Andersen is two points shy of reaching 1,500 in her career and she would become the 12th Stag to reach that mark.
 
Head Coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis has led the Stags to all three of their titles during their "Three-Peat" and ranks seventh among active head coaches with a .797 winning percentage.
 
The 11-seed is the highest in program history for the Stags who have posted road wins against Villanova and Richmond earlier this season.
 
The Stags will take on sixth-seeded Notre Dame with the two Catholic schools facing each other for the first time since 1987.
 
Academically, the two schools are among the most selected Catholic schools in the country, with Fairfield placing fifth in the country.
 
On the court, the Fighting Irish are led by one of the best players in the country Hannah Hidalgo who ranks second in the country with 811 points scored this season while leading all of Division I on the defensive end with 173 steals.
 
The winner of the game will matchup against the winner of No. 3 Ohio State and No. 14 Howard on Monday.