Andersen and Daleba's hot shooting leads Stags to eighth-straight win

Paquette scored ten of her team and season-high 14 points in the second half to lead three double-figure scorers for the Skyhawks (PHOTO BY Mary Gettens)

EASTON, Mass. (December 30, 2023) – Fairfield University connected on nine three-pointers and outscored Stonehill College by 20 points in the paint in securing a 72-49 victory in a non-conference women's basketball matchup on Paula Sullivan Court at Merkert Gymnasium this afternoon.

Fairfield, which entered the game with an NCAA NET ranking of No. 72, was led by a game-high 17 points from freshman Meghan Andersen on 6-of-10 shooting, including 2-for-4 from three-point distance, with five rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots. Senior MacKenzie Daleba was the only other double-figure scorer for a balanced Stags effort with 14 points off the bench on 6-of-9 shooting with three blocked shots and two steals, while freshman Kaety L'Amoreaux contributed nine points by hitting 3-of-6 threes with three rebounds and three assists.

Stonehill placed three in double-figures for the fourth time this season – its first since November 19 at Niagara University – led by a season-high 14 points from freshman Brooke Paquette, including ten in the second half, on 4-of-9 shooting, converting 5-of-7 free-throws by drawing a game-high ten fouls, with two assists, a rebound and steal. Senior Cameron Ward made her first start since last January and added a season-best 11 points with three rebounds and two steals, while junior Sharn Hayward tallied 12 points, three rebounds and two steals.

Junior Maureen Stapleton grabbed double-digit rebounds for the second-straight game and fourth time this season overall for Stonehill with a game-high ten to go with a team-high four assists and career-high matching three blocked shots. Postgrad Lauren Sampson, a transfer from Providence College, made her Skyhawks debut and provided a spark off the bench with eight first half points and two boards.

Ward added a season-best 11 points in her first start since last January (PHOTO BY Ryan Feeney)

Fairfield never trailed in the contest, scoring eight of the first ten points in the contest, but Stonehill provided a challenge for the Stags, closing within three (10-7) after Sampson drained a three-pointer for her first basket in a Skyhawks uniform with 68-seconds to play in the opening quarter. Fairfield scored the first six points of the second quarter on three-pointers from junior Kendall McGruder and L'Amoreau to open a ten-point cushion (17-7) 1:17 in and stretched that advantage to 11 (20-9) with an Andersen triple a minute later.

Sampson followed with a three-point play to cut the gap to eight (20-12) for Stonehill with 7:28 remaining in the first half, but Fairfield responded with seven-straight to open a 15-point margin (27-12) after a L'Amoreaux three with 5:35 left in the half. Stonehill used a 10-2 run over the next four and a half minutes to pull back within seven (29-22) on a Ward three-pointer with 67-seconds left in the half.

Seven points was the margin at the intermission (31-24), but Andersen opened the second half with a three-pointer to restore a double-digit lead for Fairfield. Ward broke a nearly three-minute scoring drought for both teams with a layup (34-28) and Stonehill was still within nine (38-29) after a Hayward three with 5:51 left in the third quarter.

Fairfield started pulling away from there, scoring the next nine points to open an 18-point lead (47-29) after a layup from freshman Karly Fischer with 2:09 left in the frame. Stonehill would not get any closer than 15 from there, with the Stags taking a 19-point lead (53-34) into the final quarter, where they scored the first six points to open a 25-point cushion (59-34) on its way to closing out an eighth straight win.

Noteworthy

• Fairfield's No. 72 NET rank is the highest among Stonehill's 13 non-conference opponents this season.
• The Skyhawks capped their 13-game non-conference slate with this afternoon's contest.
• Stonehill held a 17-13 rebounding edge in the first half, led by seven boards from Stapleton, posting a 5-1 edge on the offensive glass that resulted in a 4-0 edge in second chance points over the first 20-minutes. Fairfield would finish with a 37-32 rebounding advantage overall.
• Stonehill drew 25 fouls, while committing just 13 themselves, including only three fouls in the first half, and finished 16-for-20 (80%) at the free-throw line.
• Stapleton has led Stonehill in rebounding in 12 of 13 games.
• Ward scored in double-figures for the first time this season after missing the first ten games of the year to injury with the third double-figure game of her career.
• Paquette has three double figure scoring games in her first collegiate season, leading the Skyhawks in scoring for the fifth time.

Up Next
Stonehill (0-13, 0-0 NEC) turns its attention now to Northeast Conference play, opening at Long Island University next Saturday at 2 p.m. The Skyhawks NEC home opener is the following Saturday, January 13, when they host FDU at Merkert Gym at 2 p.m. Fairfield (10-1, 2-0 MAAC) visits Niagara University on Thursday at 11 a.m.

Tickets for Stonehill basketball games can be purchased in advance online at stonehillskyhawks.com/tickets, with single game and season ticket packages available.

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