Fairfield Women's Club Basketball took on Montclair State this weekend in a two-game series at the Fairfield University RecPlex courts. These were Fairfield's first two games since coming back from winter break. Starting for the Stags in Game 1 were sophomore Mira Theberge (#12), senior Morgan Shirley (#8), sophomore Alyssa Spagnuolo (#13), senior Danielle Nicosia (#10), and sophomore Olivia Tedeschi-Moran (#11).
The first quarter started with Montclair winning the jump ball and the Stags falling behind by a few baskets, but the first of Fairfield's 62 points came from sophomore Olivia Tedeschi-Moran (#11). Olivia also had a few huge steals that led to Stag baskets, including some tough layups that kept the game close early. Senior Danielle Nicosia (#10) nailed some important free throws to build the Stags' momentum heading into the second quarter.
The second quarter started with Stags possession and Fairfield maintaining a strong 10-point lead thanks to players coming off the bench. That lead grew as the first half came to a close, with the Stags up 37–21 at halftime. The third quarter was when Montclair came out hot. The Stags saw their lead dwindle and get cut down to just three points as the fourth quarter rolled around. Junior Allie Ferris (#1) came up huge down the stretch with 10 points off the bench, resulting in a 10–0 run for Fairfield. This was just the help the Stags needed to close out Game 1 with a final score of 62–50.
Game 2 was a different story for the Stags. They found themselves down early again, and sophomore Olivia Tedeschi-Moran (#11) got Fairfield going with a great finish on a fast break. The Stags had great ball movement in the first quarter, but the shots just weren't falling like they did in Game 1. Allie Ferris (#1) started the second quarter with an amazing pass to Madelynn Sadowski (#14), who finished with a layup, forcing an early Montclair timeout.
Freshman Daria Coll (#4) had a huge performance in Game 2, starting with a well-earned rebound that she took all the way down the court for a layup, showing impressive speed and confidence attacking the basket. The Stags were down 31–27 at halftime and needed players to step up heading into the second half. Allie Ferris (#1) and Cameron McGinley (#15) hit some big three-pointers to help Fairfield climb back, but it ultimately wasn't enough to complete the series sweep as the Stags fell 68–54.
Action went back and forth throughout the entire fourth quarter, but Montclair's shots were falling consistently. The Stags were pleased with their performance and will look to continue their hard work and success against Adelphi University this weekend at home in Leo D. Mahoney Arena.
