Fairfield women’s basketball earns 15 seed in NCAA Tournament, heading to Texas
The Fairfield women’s basketball team punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament Saturday after winning the MAAC Tournament title.
Sunday night, the Stags found out where they would heading to play in coach Joe Frager’s final season at the helm.Fairfield, the 15th seed in the Spokane Region will travel to Austin, TX for a first round game Friday against No. 2 seeded Texas.
“It was great, we were anxious the whole time waiting for it and it felt special hearing our name called,” Fairfield guard senior Lou Lopez-Senechal said. “Being on national TV and seeing our name and that we are playing Texas, we are just very excited.”
If Fairfield wins it would play the winner of No. 7 Utah and No. 10 Arkansas in the second round Sunday.
Texas qualified as the Big-12 Conference Tournament champions with a record of 26-6.
“Going to Texas is quite a trip,” Frager said. “Texas has a great program and just had a big win over Baylor. They are playing some great basketball. They really get after you defensively. We were going to be happy no matter where the NCAA sent us. Texas is a beautiful state, it will be some warmer weather and we are looking forward to it.”
Saturday, Fairfield won the MAAC championship, defeating Manhattan 73-68, paced by 24 points from Lopez-Senechal. Fairfield (25-6) was 19-1 in the MAAC this season and is going to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since receiving an at-large bid in 2001.
“We were all really excited to find out who we were going to play but knowing our ticket was already punched is a settling feeling and let us enjoy it a little more,” Fairfield graduate student Sydney Lowery said. “Winning the MAAC is such a special feeling. Today it felt more real than yesterday but we are still like ‘what just happened?’”
Prior to the season, Fairfield coach Joe Frager announced he would be stepping down at the end of this season. His players have kept the fact Frager is in his last season in their minds all year.
“We were already motivated but when we heard it would be (Frager’s) last year, it gave us a boost of motivation,” Lopez- Senechal said. “We wanted to make this a special year for him, for us and for everyone. It is the best way it could end for him.”
Frager, a Shelton native who coached girls basketball at Seymour High, has coached 14 seasons with the Stags and nine previously with Southern Connecticut State University. In his final season at SCSU, Frager won the Women's D-II National Coach of the Year after leading the Owls to the 2007 Divisional II National Championship.
“This is right up there in the great moments I’ve had,” Frager said. “Every team you coach that achieves at a high level, you always hold a special place in your heart for those teams. I have fond memories of what we did at Seymour High School, those kids won 62 games in-a-row. Winning a national championship at Southern was incredible. This has been an amazing season beginning to end with this group and I am so proud of them. They have been special all season long.”
https://www.ctinsider.com/sports/article/Fairfield-women-s-basketball-earns-15-seed-in-16999060.php